The school was founded in Roseland in 1884 by Dutch settlers in the Roseland area. These immigrants were members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America, a Protestant Calvinist denomination. In 1880, the Roseland community had been stirred by news that the Pullman Car Company would be building a new production plant nearby. Rumors of this construction prompted many to emigrate from the Netherlands. Their arrival in Roseland swelled the population, and by 1884 the consistory of the First Christian Reformed Church of Roseland voted to start a school to keep alive the Dutch language and traditions in the community. The school was known originally as "De Hollandsche Christelijke" school and it was attached to the back of the church. It was located at 111th and State streets.