Toner Institute was a school for poor boys run by the Capuchin Fathers. The school was chartered in 1941 and was in operation until the mid-1960s. Located on the hill above Dorchester Avenue near DePaul Institute, Toner was a military type academy and the boys were taught the fundamentals of military drill and discipline while receiving a quality education. It was a common site at Brookline parades to see the finely dressed cadets from the school marching in formation in their West Point style dress uniforms.