In 1838, Archbishop Polding opened this secondary school for boys on the present site next to the Cathedral. Today, St Mary’s Cathedral College is a thriving school for boys from Years 3 to 12. The College, while now part of Sydney Catholic Schools, maintains close relationships with Christian Brothers’ schools through sporting ties and an affiliation with Edmund Rice Education Australia.

The proximity to the Cathedral is more than geographical: students continue to serve as choristers and scholars, and many students are involved in altar serving and in other aspects of the liturgy.