Our History

Over 60 years of excellence.


The history of Immaculate Conception School is integrally linked to the founding of Immaculate Conception Church because the school was established for the principle purpose of promulgating the teachings of the Roman Catholic religion.  In May 1946, Immaculate Conception Church began as a mission of St. Thomas the Apostle Church located in Old Bridge, New Jersey.  The Rev. Edward C. Henry was the mission pastor.  Between the years 1946-1947, several properties on Main Street in Spotswood were purchased by the community for further use.

In March 1948, the Most Reverend William A. Griffin, Bishop of Trenton, formally incorporated Immaculate Conception Church into the Diocese of Trenton.  A small church building located on Main Street in Spotswood served 120 families.  Until 1959, Rev. Charles B. Poltorak, the first pastor, and several associates resided in what is presently the Spotswood Funeral Home.  An additional Main Street house was used as the parish center where bingo and social events were held.


Because of the need for expansion, 14 acres abutting an 18 acre lake were purchased from the Hazelhurst and Schwergert families on Manalapan Road in 1955-56 at a cost of $100,000.  Construction began on a new church designed to accommodate 1,000 parishioners, and a new school with 12 classrooms.  November 1960 saw the dedication of the 1.5 million dollar complex.  Further development of the site included a new rectory in 1984, and a Parish Youth Center in 1985. 

Immaculate Conception School opened in September 1960 with an enrollment of 198 students in grades one, two and three.  The founding principal, Sister Mary Scholastica Odachowski, C.S.S.F., led a faculty of two Felician nuns and two lay teachers.  The school expanded to full elementary size in 1961 with an enrollment of 539 in Kindergarten through 8th grade.  A two-story annex comprised of 12 more classrooms was added in 1965.  A Pre-Kindergarten​ Program for children three and four years old opened in 1994, and for two-year olds in 1995.

With the increase of the Roman Catholic population in the central New Jersey area, Immaculate Conception Church became part of the Diocese of Metuchen, which was established in 1981.  The parish has grown to approximately 3,000 families.  Rev. Harold L. Hirsch administered the parish from 1971 until his death in 2005.  Father John O'Kane is the current pastor.