Central Catholic was founded by Brother Florentius and the Marist Brothers of the Schools in 1935, to provide boys from Lawrence and vicinity the previously unavailable opportunity to receive a Catholic high school education. [click the images to read our history]

Starting with fifty freshmen students, the school was originally located in four scattered sites. In 1939 the charter class graduated and the school relocated to a permanent home at 99 Auburn Street. An annex was added in 1945, the Memorial Gymnasium building was completed in 1950, and the 300 Hampshire Street building opened in 1970. Use of the 99 Auburn Street building and annex was discontinued soon thereafter and these original structures were eventually demolished. The first lay men joined the faculty in 1960, lay women in 1967. In time, the numbers of lay people grew to a large majority of the faculty and they assumed positions of significant leadership. The Board of Directors was established in 1969. In 1996 women students were admitted for the first time and the Memorial Gymnasium Building was extensively renovated in preparation. In 1999, the first president and first lay principal were appointed. Central Catholic currently has approximately 1,350 students and 12,600 alumni.

Central Catholic High School, licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.