Annunciation School is a co-educational Roman Catholic elementary school established in 1852 as a school for boys. It is part of Annunciation Church parish in the Archdiocese of New York. The present school building was dedicated in 1907 and is located at 461 West 131st Street in New York City's area of Manhattanville. The faculty of the school consists of dedicated lay women and lay men. The school runs grades K to 8. Omar Ortiz joined the staff in the position of principal in 2010.
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The Brothers' School
Since the establishment of the parish in 1852, the Christian Brothers of Manhattan College (when it was located on Old Broadway in Manhattan), ran a school for the boys of the parish, initially on the college property and then at a small building on West 131st Street and Amsterdam Ave. It was known as the Brothers' School.
The Convent School and later arrival of the Dominican Sisters
In 1850 a boarding school for girls was established by the Religious of the Sacred Heart on the property of Manhattanville College,known as the Convent School. A new school building was erected on West 130th St/Convent Ave in 1872, to be rebuilt in 1888 following its destruction by a fire.
The Christian Brothers continued to oversee Annunciation School until 1922, when Manhattan College relocated out of the area.
The Most. Rev. John J. Dunn, Auxiliary Bishop of New York and pastor of Annunciation Church engaged the Dominican Sisters (aka Order of Preachers) of St. Mary of the SpringsColumbus, OH to teach and administrate Annunciation School.
Co-Ed
In 1952, the Religious of the Sacred Heart and Manhattanville College moved to Purchase, NY leaving the girls' school without teachers. The girls were moved to the Boys School and the Girls' School building was leased out, eventually becoming part of City College of New York. In 1953 there were 425 boys and 415 girls in the school.
New School Building
In 1961, under Fr. Thomas Donnelly (later Monsignor Donnelly)pastor of Annunciation Church, the parish bought and demolished three apartment buildings on Amsterdam Avenue to build a new addition to the school. The cornerstone was laid in 1963 and the school was dedicated on May 31, 1964 by the Most Rev. Edward Dargin, auxiliary bishop of New York.
Piarist Fathers
In 1977, the church was placed under the pastoral guidance of the Piarist Fathers. Consequently, the Piarists have been overseeing the school ever since. In 1978, the Dominican Sisters gave up the administration of the school, although some sisters remained teaching for some time. The Piarist Fathers are officially known as the Order of the Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools. The order's mission is educating youth world wide.