Cooperative preschools were established in the Seattle public schools in 1940, and the Capitol Hill Co-op originated in 1952 when the Stevens Cooperative Play Group merged with the Lowell Cooperative Preschool. The group met originally at Lowell School at 10th and Mercer and moved in 1959 to facilities provided by St. Mark’s Cathedral about a half mile north. After this, responsibility for over-seeing the cooperative schools was transferred from the public school system to the Family Life department of Seattle Central Community College, which continues to administer all the area co-ops.

In 1991, Capitol Hill Co-op moved to St. Patrick’s Church, another mile north, where it remained until the 2009-2010 school year, when it relocated to more flexible surroundings in Trinity Lutheran Church, almost directly across the street from its old St. Mark’s home. In over fifty years of operation, Capitol Hill Co-op has never changed its ZIP code and continues to serve the families of one of the most diverse and interesting neighborhoods in the Seattle area.