St Columba's Roman Catholic High School, Dunfermline

The original St Columba’s High School was opened in 1922 in Cowdenbeath as a combined Catholic senior secondary for all Fife pupils and a junior secondary for pupils from the immediate Cowdenbeath area. In 1959, the new St Andrew’s High School in Kirkcaldy took on the role of the Catholic senior secondary and St Columba’s became a junior high school with a catchment area covering Dunfermline and west Fife. The present school buildings were constructed in 1969, at which point the old junior high school in Cowdenbeath was closed. St Columba’s celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2009.

Under Local Government reorganisation in 1973, authority for the running of St Columba’s was transferred from the County Council to the newly formed Fife Regional Council. The school then developed into a six-year Catholic co-educational comprehensive school in line with the Education Authority policy.

All pupils come to school wearing the school blue tie with its Latin motto “Tenui Nec Dimittam”, which means, “I will hold and not let go”.

• Holy Name RC Primary School, Oakley.[1]
• St Bride's RC Primary School, Cowdenbeath.[1]
• St John's RC Primary School, Rosyth.[1]
• St Joseph's RC Primary School, Kelty.[1]
• St Kenneth's RC Primary School, Ballingry. (Can also attend St Andrew's RC High School, Kirkcaldy)[1]
• St Margaret's RC Primary School, Dunfermline.[1]
• St Patrick's RC Primary School, Lochgelly. (Most pupils attend St Andrew's RC High School, Kirkcaldy)
• St Serf's RC Primary School, High Valleyfield.[1]

• Gregory Burke – playwright[2]
• Natalie McGarry – SNP Politician and former Member of Parliament for Glasgow East[3]
• Alex Rowley– Scottish Labour politician[4]
• Jordan Patrick Smith – Actor

• School info page
• St Columba's R C High School profile on Education Scotland Parentzone