Christ the King Parish was founded in 1927. Father Daniel J. Ryan was its first pastor.

Father Ryan wanted the Sisters of Mercy, well-known educators, to staff the parish’s new school. The school opened in 1928 with 48 children enrolled. Just eight years later, the staff doubled and enrollment increased to 182 pupils.

By the mid-fifties, Christ the King School enrolled 285 students, taught by six lay teachers and five Sisters of Mercy, including Sister Mary Rosella. Sr. Rosella was named the school’s principal in 1968.

Times were changing, and it was time for a new school building. Located on the playground of the original school, the new building opened in 1966 and featured spacious classrooms with large windows, a library and a large cafeteria. The new gymnasium gave parish teams their first opportunity to practice and play on a home court.

Technology hit the classroom in the Eighties when the first computers were installed, in many cases before students had them in their own homes. All students studied Spanish, and specialists taught art, music and physical education. Students who needed extra help could visit the new resource room. An increasing number of teachers had master’s degrees.

Students can explore a wide array of interests at Christ the King, from joining the Speech Team, Drama Club or Children’s Choir to playing a variety of sports or writing for the school newspaper.

The tradition of good old-fashioned hard work, discipline, courtesy and moral values continues as it always had. But Sister Rosella never forgot the enjoyable events that break the routine and delight children, from a make your own sundae party to letting the teachers dress in school uniforms during Catholic Schools Week. Bigger events include a field day in Heman Park and the Mission Carnival, still highlights of each spring.

In the Nineties, as a result of a successful marketing campaign, students from more ZIP codes enrolled at Christ the King, enriching our school with students of other faiths and additional diversity.

To meet the needs of contemporary families, an after-school care program began in 1993 and a preschool with extended and flexible hours was opened in 2002.

In 2006, after 38 years as the school’s principal, Sr. Rosella retired. Susan Hooker was named her successor. She leads an experienced faculty of enthusiastic and skilled teachers, assisted by parents and other volunteers. Under her leadership, Christ the King School continues its tradition of offering an excellent education to children of all faiths in the heart of University City.