Marquette Catholic was established in 1927 by the Ursuline Sisters. It was built at the request of Bishop Griffin, the Bishop of Springfield in Illinois. It was the first coeducational Catholic high school in the Diocese. The Ursuline Sisters have a history of teaching the youth of Alton dating back to 1859. The Ursuline Sisters left in 1992 and the school was then operated by the Diocese. In 2007, an independent board of directors was established and relinquished control of the school.
