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2023 N. Arkansas Ave.
Wichita, Kansas 67203
Phone: 316-262-4071
Fax: 316-262-6217
Office Hours: 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM
School Hours: 7:50 AM - 3:25 PM
With an initial enrollment of 26 students, St. Patrick School was established in 1910 at 19th and Wellington Place in Wichita. The school and parish took the name St. Patrick in part because Timothy Mahaney, the man who donated the tract of land for the parish, had requested it be dedicated to the patron saint of Ireland. Early in its history, Father McNeil, superintendent of diocesan schools, made St. Patrick into an "experimental" school, one of only a dozen such schools in the country at the time. Although standardized textbooks were used, special use of supplementary material and varied teaching techniques were emphasized.
The location of the school, in the inner city, creates the opportunity for a rich and diverse culture. The school is open to students from St. Mary's Cathedral and Our Lady of Perpetual Help parishes. Several Vietnamese children from St. Anthony and a few African-American children add to the cultural richness of the school. The percentage of Hispanic students has surpassed that of the Caucasian students. The school is comprised of 75% Hispanic, 20% Caucasian, and 5% Other (Asian and African American). From the liturgies, to the classroom, to the cafeteria, the rich cultural diversity is quite evident here at St. Patrick Catholic School.