Welcome to ECCSS!

Elk County Catholic School System provides Catholic education for students from preschool through grade 12, serving families throughout Elk County and the surrounding region. Our school system includes St. Marys Catholic Elementary School (preschool-grade 5), St. Marys Catholic Middle School (grades 6-8), Elk County Catholic High School (grades 9-12), and St. Leo School (preschool-grade 8), with campuses in St. Marys and Ridgway.


Together, our schools offer a supportive, faith-filled environment where students are known, challenged, and encouraged to grow. Rooted in the Catholic tradition, ECCSS proudly welcomes students and families of all faith backgrounds.

Mission Statement

Elk County Catholic School System, an educational ministry of the Diocese of Erie, rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence. With God as our constant source of inspiration, our mission is to develop the whole student in mind, body, and spirit while nurturing the values of knowledge, peace, and holiness.

Accreditation

Elk County Catholic School System is proud to participate in the Diocese of Erie's coordinated accreditation through the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS). This accreditation includes St. Marys Catholic Elementary School, St. Marys Catholic Middle School, Elk County Catholic High School, and St. Leo School.



Middle States accreditation reflects an ongoing commitment to educational excellence and continuous improvement. The comprehensive process evaluates areas including student learning, curriculum and instruction, leadership, governance, school operations, and strategic planning, helping ensure that our schools continue to provide a high-quality, mission-driven Catholic education.

What Accreditation Means for Our Schools

Educational Excellence

Accreditation provides an independent review of our schools, recognizing areas of strength while identifying opportunities for continued growth and improvement.

Continuous Improvement

Each school evaluates its programs, practices, and student outcomes and establishes meaningful goals designed to strengthen the educational experience for our students.

Collaboration

Through the Diocese of Erie's coordinated accreditation process, our schools work alongside the Catholic Schools Office and other diocesan schools to share resources, align goals, and strengthen professional development.

Mission-Driven Education

Middle States recognized the strong mission-driven focus of Catholic schools throughout the Diocese of Erie, along with the dedication of their faculty and staff and the collaboration among school communities.

Rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ

History

  • 1842-1868

    Black-and-white photo of a hillside with several old buildings behind a fence and open field

    The town of St. Marys was founded in 1842, primarily as a haven for German Roman Catholics from Bavaria seeking freedom from religious discrimination. St. Marys Parish was at the heart of the young community, with Sacred Heart Parish established several decades later.


    From the 1850s through the 1890s, priests, sisters, and brothers taught in the community's public schools. The Benedictine Sisters, who arrived in St. Marys in 1852, also established St. Benedict's Academy. Initially located near the site of today's Elk Regional Health Center, the school moved to the Benedictine Sisters' property along Maurus Street in 1860, and a new academy was built there in 1868. St. Benedict's served both boarding and day students as an all-girls school.

  • 1895-1902

    Red brick building with gray roof and white trim on a corner lot with grass and trees

    Following passage of Pennsylvania's Smith Garb Act in 1895, which prohibited teachers from wearing religious attire in public schools, St. Marys and Sacred Heart parishes each established their own Catholic elementary school in 1896.


    Catholic secondary education soon followed. St. Marys Parish built St. Marys Catholic High School in 1901, and Sacred Heart Parish opened its own high school in the parish hall next to its elementary school in 1902.

  • 1923-1935

    Brick school building with large windows and a red car parked in front under a blue sky.

    Sacred Heart Parish opened a new brick elementary school, Sacred Heart School, in 1923. As the need for additional high school space grew, St. Marys and Sacred Heart parishes joined together to establish St. Marys Central Catholic High School, which opened in 1925.


    When the local hospital was destroyed by fire in 1934, the Benedictine Sisters offered St. Benedict's Academy for use as the community hospital. The academy subsequently closed, graduating its final class in 1935.

  • 1950s

    Black-and-white photo of a large brick building beside a snowy street with bare trees and parked cars.

    As the community grew following World War II, St. Marys Parish replaced its original wooden school with a new stone building. Students moved into St. Marys Parochial Grade School in 1952.


    Continued growth led to the establishment of Queen of the World Parish in the early 1950s, followed by the opening of its parish grade school in 1957.

  • 1960-1990

    Wide view of a beige building with blue glass entrance under a clear sky

    As enrollment continued to grow, St. Marys Central Catholic High School could no longer accommodate the needs of the region. In 1962, Elk County Christian High School opened as a new regional Catholic high school serving the St. Marys parishes as well as Catholic communities throughout Ridgway, Johnsonburg/Wilcox, Kersey, Bennetts Valley, Emporium, and Kane. With the opening of the regional high school, St. Leo School in Ridgway transitioned from educating students through grade 12 to serving younger students.


    Responsibility for the new high school was assumed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie. The school was later renamed Elk County Catholic High School in 2001.

  • 1990s-2000s

    Low brick school building with a parking lot and tall light pole under a clear blue sky

    In 1999, the three St. Marys parishes, with the permission of the Bishop of Erie, began the process of bringing their parish elementary schools together as the St. Marys Catholic Elementary School System.


    As part of the consolidation, in 2002 preschool through grade 5 moved to the former Queen of the World School, which became St. Marys Catholic Elementary School. Grades 6 through 8 moved to the former St. Marys Parochial School, which became St. Marys Catholic Middle School, and Sacred Heart School closed.

  • 2010s-Present

    Two-story beige brick building with central entrance and landscaped front lawn under a clear blue sky

    A new chapter for Catholic education in Elk County began in 2010 with the formation of the Elk County Catholic School System as a new legal entity, bringing together St. Marys Catholic Elementary School, St. Marys Catholic Middle School, and Elk County Catholic High School. ECCSS officially began operating as a unified school system with the 2011–2012 school year.


    In 2013, St. Marys Catholic Middle School relocated to the Elk County Catholic High School building. The two schools continue to operate as distinct schools while sharing the Maurus Street campus.


    The ECCSS community grew again in 2016 when St. Leo School in Ridgway joined the school system, bringing together the rich Catholic educational traditions of St. Marys and Ridgway.


    Today, Elk County Catholic School System serves students from preschool through grade 12 across four schools in St. Marys and Ridgway. Building upon generations of Catholic education in Elk County, our schools honor the traditions that shaped them while working together to ensure a strong future for Catholic education in our region.

Board of Directors

The Elk County Catholic School System Board of Directors provides governance and strategic oversight in support of the mission and long-term strength of our schools. Working in partnership with the ECCSS President and school leadership, the Board helps guide educational, financial, personnel, and facilities policies while ensuring responsible stewardship of the resources entrusted to our school system.



Board members generously volunteer their time and expertise in service to Catholic education. The Board operates in accordance with ECCSS governing documents and the policies and guidance of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie.

  • Board Officers

    • Dan Wortman: Chair
    • Jude Viglione: Vice Chair
    • Amy Straub: Treasurer
    • Ed Schlimm: Secretary

  • Board Members


    • Laura Blake: Superintendent of Catholic Schools,  Diocese of Erie
    • Kassie Brem
    • Mary Lynn Carnovale
    • Mary Detwiler
    • Susan Dixon
    • Jude Hoffman
    • Vern Kreckel
    • Daniel Martuccio
    • Michelle Muccio
    • Fr. Justin Pino: Vice President of Catholic Mission & Pastor, St. Leo Parish 
    • Lynn Schatz
    • Msgr. Richard Siefer: Episopal Vicor 
    • Ralph Tettis, Sr.

  • Ex Officio / Non-Voting Members

    • Fr. Christopher Beran: Pastor, St. Boniface Parish
    • Bob Breindel: ECCSS Director of Finance
    • Fr. Thomas Curry, O.S.B.: Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish & St. Mary’s Parish
    • Ted Hanes: ECCSS President
    • Franchesca Herzing: ECCSS Director of Advancement 
    • Lynne Kucenski: Principal, SLS
    • Melinda Lanzel: ECCSS Director of Marketing and Enrollment
    • Fr. Jeff Noble: Pastor, Queen of the World Parish
    • John Schneider: Principal, ECCHS and SMCMS
    • Debbie Slay: Principal, SMCES