The URBAN COMMUNITY SCHOOL, located on the near west side of Cleveland, educates inner city students in grades K to 8. The students are primarily from economically disadvantaged families, and there is racial and ethnic diversity among the students.
The school was founded in 1968 when ST. PATRICK'S PARISH, ST. MALACHI PARISH, and ST. WENDELEN PARISH schools merged into an independent, nonprofit, interdenominational school. The Urban Community School provided a creative, experimental education, using the near west side community as a learning resource. The school was nongraded, but primary, intermediate, and junior-high levels were maintained. Children were admitted on a first-come basis, with tuition on a sliding scale. Initially, the school was operated by the P.M. Foundation and supported by a benefactor. It has won several education awards, including a 1987 U.S. Department of Education citation for excellence. The school was also one of the first in the city to introduce conflict resolution training for pre-adolescent students, and was also the first in the Cleveland area to have a Montessori preschool for inner city children.
Sister Maureen Doyle became director on the school in 1986. As of 1994, the school was located at 2401 Washington Ave., and there is an Early Childhood Center at 2259 Columbus Rd. The enrollment was approx. 400 students.