Cotter Schools is located in Winona, Minnesota and is the sole Roman Catholic school in the city. Educational opportunities begin in preschool for children 16 months or older and continue through Grade 12. Boarding is available for students in grades 7-12. The school opened its doors on September 5, 1911 as the "Cotter School for Boys" with 11 students. Cotter, named for the diocese’s first bishop, Bishop Joseph Bernard Cotter, was a boys school directed by the Christian Brothers of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. In 1952, the Brothers turned the operation of the school over to the diocese and Cotter became co-educational with the combining of the Cathedral Girls High School. In 1953 a new Cotter building was erected and in 1962 an addition was added. In 1992, with help from an endowment f