Principal
Dr. Tekle Mekonnen
Leads teaching and learning at LCCS, from the first alphabet lessons of Grade 1 to the national exam year of Grade 12.
About LCCS
A Catholic school for students of every faith, beside the Lideta Cathedral in Piassa, Addis Ababa, forming the whole person for more than seventy years.
Our history
Established over six decades ago, Lideta Catholic Cathedral School began as humble alphabet tutorials under the guidance of Abba Gebremichael Mekonnen, then parish priest of the Catholic Cathedral in Addis Ababa. From its modest single-classroom beginnings, the school grew rapidly, and within a few years it became a full-fledged school serving more than 800 students.
The school, formerly known as Nativity Boys School, was started in 1953 by the Catholic Archdiocese of Addis Ababa. In the first year there were only 50 students in a single classroom. The De La Salle Brothers (the Brothers of the Christian Schools) ran the school before handing it to the administration of the Archdiocese of Addis Ababa. In 1994 the school was upgraded from an elementary and junior school to a high school.
Throughout its long legacy, LCCS has not only been a beacon of academic excellence; it has also formed responsible and ethically upstanding citizens for the nation.
1953
Nativity Boys School opens
Started by the Catholic Archdiocese of Addis Ababa beside the Lideta Cathedral: 50 students in a single classroom, beginning with alphabet tutorials led by Abba Gebremichael Mekonnen.
1956
The De La Salle Brothers arrive
The Brothers of the Christian Schools take over the administration, and the school grows to more than 800 students.
1973
The Archdiocese takes the lead
Administration passes to the Archdiocese of Addis Ababa, which runs the school to this day.
1994
A high school
LCCS is upgraded from elementary and junior school to a full high school, Grades 1 to 12.
2021
Student Council founded
Students elect their own governing body to represent their opinions.
Today
3,500 students, two campuses
One of Ethiopia's most respected schools, with graduates at universities around the world.
Vision
The school envisions being a center that provides quality education and the harmonious development of the students, thereby producing worthy citizens for Ethiopia and the world.
Mission
To promote integral human formation encompassing academic excellence, ethical values, and the student's social growth.
Our leadership community’s vision
LCCS, our leadership community, envisions a future where quality education stands as the cornerstone in combatting persistent societal poverty. We firmly believe that breaking the chains of generational poverty starts with empowering minds through education. Embracing the principle “Overcoming poverty begins in the mind,” we proudly offer financial assistance to numerous students, facilitating their academic journey. Through this initiative, we aim to uplift countless deserving students to not only graduate but to also ascend to higher educational institutions, thereby enhancing their family's quality of life and overall well-being.
Motto · Formation of Integral Human Development
Our values
Eight values that every student and staff member, of every faith, shares at LCCS.
Altruism
Putting the good of others first, in class and in the community.
Adaptability
Meeting a demanding curriculum and a changing world with an open mind.
Collaboration
Learning together: we ask every student to help the classmate beside them.
Commitment
The long study hours that LCCS is known for, kept up year after year.
Honesty
Truthfulness in work, in exams and in friendship.
Respect
Cherishing the dignity of each human person, whatever their faith.
Justice
Standing for what is fair, from the Justice & Peace Advocacy club outward.
Tolerance
Students and staff of all faiths sharing one school and one set of values.
LCCS in numbers
One of the ten best high schools in Ethiopia, and one of its largest.
75
Years of experience
3,500
Students
750
Staff
2
Campuses
100%
pass rate for LCCS Grade 12 students in the Ethiopian Higher Education Entrance Exam, with unmatched results.
Top 10
LCCS has been ranked among the ten best high schools in Ethiopia.
70+ yrs
of graduates in the Cathedral Alumni Association, most of them doctors, engineers and lawyers.
42
universities abroad have admitted LCCS graduates, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, MIT and KAIST.
School leadership
Executive Director
Belay Abate
Leads the administration of the school and its development, from daily operations to the projects that will shape the next generation of LCCS.
Financial aid
Poverty reduction begins in the mind
The LCCS community believes that quality education is the best means of alleviating our society's chronic poverty. Without education, multigenerational poverty continues. Our principle is: “Poverty reduction begins in the people's mind.” Because of this, hundreds of students receive financial aid from the school to continue their education, and the program enables many students to finish school and go on to university and beyond, improving their families' standard of living and well-being as well.
Support a studentIn the community
LCCS and its students are known for taking part in community movements. LCCS played a real part in the world-record-breaking Green Legacy tree-planting movement. We have joined charities and fundraisers for people displaced by war in northern Ethiopia, and every year students donate toward the completion of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Student-led charity clubs such as Faith In Action, Cathe Covidient, Cathe Cardiac and Agape raise funds for causes from feeding the homeless to treating children with heart disease. Our students don't stop at money: they clean the school compound, take part in networking events and organize gratitude events.
Green Legacy
A real part in Ethiopia's world-record-breaking tree-planting movement.
Displaced families
Charities and fundraisers for people displaced by war in northern Ethiopia.
Cathe Cardiac
Student fundraising for children with heart disease.
Grand Renaissance Dam
Students donate every year toward its completion.