The Early Years
St. Dominic Church was dedicated in 1869 by Bishop Grace. In 1925 a site was chosen for a parish school and ground broke on August 8, 1926. The school was originally named the Rosary School and the dedication service was held on August 7, 1927. The School Sisters of Notre Dame from Mankato ran the school. In the first year, the school had nearly two hundred students.
In addition to grades one through eight, the school also offered the first two years of high school, which was maintained until 1942. In 1928, at the request of the Bishop, a diocesan boarding school was opened to accommodate boys of the diocese. The boys were housed on the top floor of the school. The following year, the boarding school was expanded to include local girls. Rooms were provided in the convent and school for this purpose until the boarding school officially closed in 1947.
By 1959 the school enrollment totaled nearly 300 students. The school expanded with an addition that contains four classrooms, a large gymnasium, a cafeteria, an office, and a faculty room. This same year, the school name was officially changed to St. Dominic School.
In 1978 an agreement was signed providing for shared-time classes at the Northfield Middle School for St. Dominic School students in grades seven and eight.
The Later Years
Many changes have happened in recent years. In 1991, kindergarten was added to our school classroom offerings. In 2007, our Preschool opened offering multiple schedules for children ages 3-5. In 2016 our full-time Prekindergarten class opened and became available to children one year away from Kindergarten.
Today
Today, we continue to offer the Northfield area a unique educational solution for our families. Our students, in grades Preschool-8th, benefit from a strong faith-based education, along with rigourous academics and a family of friends and teachers who support their development.