Established in 1918, Immaculate Conception School was founded by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and remained a religious-staffed school up until 1984, when it welcomed its first lay faculty. Situated in the 9th Street corridor, Immaculate Conception once sat in the epicenter of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ base, in the same vicinity as The Tidings’ office, Catholic Charities, and Cotter’s, the religious supply store. The school has been associated with many famous names of the church, including Archbishop Cantwell and Cardinals Manning, Mahony and McIntyre.
On September 16, 1987, the Immaculate Conception School community had the distinct privilege of welcoming His Holiness St. Pope John Paul II in what would end up becoming a signature event that would forever be engraved in the school’s identity. Joined by former First Lady Nancy Reagan, St. Pope John Paul II met with a select group of middle school students and would go on to address the entire school community in an assembly. The memory of this day has since been marked with a stone pillar which stands in the school’s central courtyard and remains an important part of the school and parish’s rich history.
Throughout the decades, Immaculate Conception School has seen its physical plant evolve. Starting out as a building with four classrooms when the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart opened the school in 1918, the school campus had grown to eight classrooms and in 2012, opened an entirely new wing to the schoolhouse which contains the Preschool and the spacious Mary Ann Murphy Library and Multi-Purpose Room. In the late 2010’s, through a generous contribution from the Shea Foundation, the Immaculate Conception outdoor volleyball court was constructed.
