ground was broken for the first of the schools, bishop chatard, in the fall of 1960 on diocese property at the corner of crittenden and kessler avenues. construction of the school and an adjacent convent was completed in less than a year, and the first students were admitted in september 1961. each year a class of students was added to the school, and the first graduating class was the class of 1964-65. over the years, many improvements were made to the school facility as the number of students rose.