Our History

Catholic education in Latrobe traces its origins to 1863, when the community began gathering at St Patrick’s Church. The official establishment of St Patrick’s Catholic School occurred in 1887, with Miss Ellen Hartnett serving as the first employed teacher.

In December 1892, the Sisters of Mercy arrived from Bendigo, Victoria, marking a significant chapter in the school's history. They took over the school's management, providing both primary and secondary education, along with private music instruction.

The Sisters continued to lead the school until 1971, when the first lay teacher was employed to teach Prep in the Church Hall. After a century of stewardship, the Sisters of Mercy relinquished management in 1992. The following year, Mr. Philip Robinson became the first lay school leader in a century.

Over the years, the school has undergone several developments:

• 1939: A new school building was constructed using voluntary labor.
  
  
• 1979: Extensions were completed, adding two classrooms, an open area, toilets, and an administration area, along with new equipment and a parish-funded hall.
  
  
• 1992–1994: Three classrooms for early childhood education were built, and library facilities were improved.
  
  
• 2003: The Kindergarten and child care center began operations, with a dedicated Kindergarten facility opening in 2005.
  
  
• 2006: A double terrapin was constructed to accommodate Year 2 and the Year 5/6 class.
  
  
• 2009: The School Hall was revamped to better cater for school activities and to effectively house the Shamrock’s outside school hours care program operated by the child care centre. This redevelopment made the hall a much more inviting and user-friendly shared space and was renovated as part of stage one of the building program being implemented as part of the federally funded Building Education Revolution (BER).
  
  
• 2010: Internal access to the school was improved with new entrances, a reception area, and a new frontage, enhancing access and street appeal. Further building work included updating the Year 3 and 4/5 classrooms, building a new kitchen/canteen area, a larger staffroom, two new office facilities for staff, and the creation of a new kindergarten playground. This building work was part of the BER funded program and was officially opened in 2011.
• 2013: Funding was granted for the removal of the Year 5 and 6 terrapin and for two new general learning areas to be built. The internal student toilets were also refurbished, and two classrooms were revamped. The Year 5 and 6 classes moved into their new classrooms to begin Term 4, and work on the refurbishment of the Year 1 and Prep classrooms took place in the holiday break between Terms 2 and 3.
• 2025: Refurbishment of early years classrooms and building of three additional general learning Areas.