The school served grades nine through twelve with a diverse[clarification needed] mix of students with an academic program grounded in the teachings and formations of the Catholic faith.

It was accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The faculty consisted of lay and religious men and women, the majority of whom held advanced degrees in their area of specialization.

[2] Bishop McDevitt High School was dedicated on December 8, 1958, and opened to students the following day.

The school added vocational and technical education in 1965; won Philadelphia Catholic League marching band title in 1965; won its first boys' Philadelphia Catholic League title in 1966; became co-educational shortly after it first opened Ed; won its first girls' Philadelphia Catholic League title in 1979; welcomed its first lay principal in 1985; opened its first computer lab in 1987; achieved its Middle States accreditation in 1988; started a Development Office and Alumni Association in 1989; and moved into open enrollment and a restructured president and principal model of administration in 1993.