Being a parish school, the history of St Dominic’s is closely tied to that of its church. On Sunday, 30 September, 1954. Father Fintan Campbell O.P. celebrated the first official Mass for the new parish in the state school that stood at the corner of Odin and Scarborough Beach Roads. The Innaloo Parish was officially inaugurated on 1 November, 1954. In that year the school/church was built at the corner of Beatrice Street and Phillips Grove at a cost of 9,800 pounds. On Sunday, 6 February 1955, St Dominic’s School, with the church sharing the same building, was opened and blessed by His Grace, Archbishop Prendiville.
St Dominic’s School was opened on 8 February 1955, with 96 students in Grades One, Two and Three. Sr Francis Huntsman was the foundation Principal. In June of that year, Sister Dominica Davis was appointed Headmistress.
The school was used as the church for twelve years until St Dominic’s Church was opened on 14 December 1966. Father George O’Leary was appointed parish priest on 2 April, 1964. The school originally consisted of the building, which extends alongside the present church. In the following few years two classrooms and an office were built parallel to Beatrice Street. Further extensions, two classrooms and an office, were completed in 1976 and 1980. Since the completion of the classrooms, two major developments have occurred. In 1982 the School Board bought the house adjacent to the school in Beatrice Street and converted it to a pre-primary.
Then in 1983, the School Board saw the need to upgrade the old toilet block but this plan developed into a major refurbishing and extension of the whole school. By the end of 1987 the school had a new administration and staff block, classroom, multi-purpose room, canteen, toilets and a refurbished library. Kindergarten classes commenced in 1997.
