Altoona Central Catholic School provides Catholic education to residents of the Altoona area at an elementary school site and a middle school. The school builds on the exceptional traditions of nine elementary schools that were an integral part of Altoona's early Roman Catholic history. The railroad town of great ethnic diversity gave rise to many ethnic churches, each with their own schools. For decades, these schools were staffed primarily by several religious orders of sisters. But as demographics changed and the number of religious diminished, the nature of the these parish schools had to change. Altoona Central Catholic was a response to those changing circumstances. This new model for Catholic Schools in the Altoona area has met with great success, among other things, establishing the first middle school in the diocese.
