Throughout the late 1940's and early 1950's, Capreol's population was on the rise and the local Public School was filled to capacity.  The Department of Education informed the Catholic taxpayers of Capreol that if they wished to have a Separate School in their community, that they had to act at once.

On October 3, 1952, the Catholic taxpayers of Capreol held a meeting and decided to build a separate school.  An interim School Board was appointed and the first official election was held in 1953.

Rapidly, plans were made for the building of the separate school, and on December 6, 1953, St. Mary's Separate School was officially opened on Meehan Street.  Named for the patron saint of the Roman Catholic community in Capreol, a statue of the Virgin Mary was placed at the entrance of the school as a symbol of faith in Mary's intercession for sinners.  The original statue is still on display in the main foyer.

Originally, both English and French students were taught in the same classroom in their own language.  For obvious reasons, this method of instruction was extremely difficult and was subsequently abandoned.  The school was divided into an English section (named St. Mary's) and a French section (named École Ste. Marie).  The English section grew rapidly and additional classrooms were soon needed to accommodate the number of students.

By January of 1969, the school had expanded to include a library, a gymnasium, a teacher's room, and two additional classrooms.  The library was initially shared by the French and English students, but was later partitioned.

Through the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and Le Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario, St. Mary's continues to educate students from JK to Grade 8 using the Roman Catholic faith as a basis for spiritual guidance and educational success.

Material compiled from Capreol: The First 75 Years, 1918-1993.