The mission of  Immaculate Conception School is to foster a personal desire for life long learning and growth in the Catholic Christian faith in each of its students.  We believe that all of our students possess the potential to be vital Christians, and self-motivated, independent learners who can participate successfully as productive members of society and the Church.

The purpose of  Immaculate Conception School is to create an environment in which students develop an awareness that their accumulated knowledge and skill proficiency have direct bearing on their three fundamental relationships of life...to God, to self and others, and to one’s environment.

The religious and academic goals of Immaculate Conception School will challenge the students, employees, parents and community members to develop:

• The spiritual dimension of their lives
• High moral character
• Self-discipline
• Self-worth
• Respect and dignity for the rights of others
• Service to others
• Concern for the community
• Concern for the common good
• Acceptance of responsibility as members of a faith community

Immaculate Conception Parish was founded in 1905 to serve the immigrant Italian community that settled in Bloomfield.  Five years later, in 1910, the first school building, Calvary School opened its doors to 78 students.  In 1912 a second building was opened on the site of the present school, and it was named Immaculate Conception School.

Over the years three religious communities have served at Immaculate Conception School.  From 1910-1920 the Franciscan Sisters from New York staffed the school.  During the period from 1920-1954 the school was operated by the Pallotine Sisters from Huntington, W.VA.  In 1954 the Sisters of the Holy Spirit (formerly Sisters of the Holy Ghost) from Pittsburgh was asked to staff Immaculate Conception School, and they continue to do so today.

Since 1910 Immaculate Conception School has had solid roots in the Italian Community which it continues to serve.  Immaculate Conception School was as ethnic as the parish until 1971 when non-Italians were first permitted to enroll.  Today the parish community encompasses both St. Joseph and Immaculate Conception churches, and the school open its doors to all ethnic groups,  races and religions.

Being located in the Bloomfield section of the city, Immaculate Conception School is literally in the center of Pittsburgh, and only three miles from downtown Pittsburgh.  Although Bloomfield is defined as being that area with the 15224 area zip code, it easily stretches into surrounding Shadyside, Oakland, East Liberty, Polish Hill, Garfield and Lawrenceville.  The school and its students have ready access to numerous service centers, recreational facilities, educational/religious institutions, libraries, and medical facilities.
Some examples of the advantages of the location of Immaculate Conception are:

...close proximity to area hospitals (Children’s Hospital, The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Shadyside Hospital) affords students the opportunity to volunteer their services to help the sick and shut-ins, and to utilize the hospitals  as educational tools.

...nearby recreational facilities which provide the students  experiences of 'outdoor' types of activities (e.g., swimming pools and parks).

...easy access to three branches of the Carnegie Library and the cultural advantages of Oakland (e.g., Museum, Music Hall, Art Gallery...).

...close proximity to Catholic High Schools (Central Catholic,  Oakland Catholic, North Catholic and Mt. Alvernia).

Immaculate Conception School is a Catholic school with a caring and dedicated staff and faculty that continues to provide a Christ-centered and a warm family-like environment for its students.  It is very much a neighborhood school where it is not unusual to be teaching the third or fourth generation of a family.

At Immaculate Conception School, students share experiences in and out of the classroom that reinforce belief in themselves, others, and God.  It is this foundation in faith that distinguishes our school, our faculty, and our students.  Our school doesn’t function as if God were simply a matter of personal opinion.  Immaculate Conception School openly recognizes the holy in the ordinary ... God is in all things!

Every child  needs a school that knows  where it’s going.  At Immaculate Conception School, this idea is not “fashionable” or “new”.  It has long been central to the mission.  It embodies the commitment of Immaculate Conception School to educate the whole child by meeting his or her academic, spiritual, social, and personal needs.

School Leadership:
Pastor - Rev. John Dinello
Principal - Sister Mary John Cook, S.H.S

Faculty, Itinerant Personell, and Support Staff

Immaculate Conception-Saint Joseph Parish in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania sponsors and supports Immaculate Conception School,
which is under the auspices of the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
As a school in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Immaculate Conception School follows the policies set forth in the
Principal’s Handbook from the Secretariat for Education and the Federation of Pittsburgh Diocesan Teachers Local Union 2400 Agreement.

The pastor and principal work together to ensure financial stability, and to give support to all diocesan and state regulations for an elementary school.

The principal, a member of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit is responsible for the everyday operation of the school. 

The principal is accountable to the pastor of Immaculate Conception-Saint Joseph Parish
and the Department for Catholic Education of the Diocese of Pittsburgh