Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School

Holy Martyrs Cabayan Elementary & Ferrahian High School (HMCEFHS) was founded in Encino, California in 1964. The historic founding of the school marked the establishment of the first Armenian-American daily educational institution in the United States. The establishment of a bilingual Armenian day school was one of the many goals of the Armenian-American community during the first half of the 20th century. The first real opportunity for the realization of this goal occurred in the early 1950s, when attorney Mateos Ferrahian bequeathed $300,000 toward the establishment of an Armenian/English bilingual high school. Several years later, Mr. Gabriel Injejikian, an educator from Lebanon, in cooperation with the Executive Board of the Encino-based Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church, took the necessary steps to start a high school in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County. A single-family home adjacent to the church was purchased and converted into a school. Thereafter, in the fall of 1964 instructions began with 12 students.