In the last years before Borah opened, overcrowding at Boise High School limited its downtown campus to the upper two grades only.

[6][12][13] Borah was the dominant football program in the state for the school's first quarter century, winning the Southern Idaho Conference and the A.P.

Ed Troxel, a former head coach at the College of Idaho, was 76–8–2 (.895) in the school's first nine seasons, with eight unofficial state titles and a runner-up.

Pankratz' first five seasons as head coach brought five more state titles with only two defeats, to intra-city rival Capital in 1967 and 1971, separated by 34 consecutive victories.

[15] The 1971 team rebounded from the loss and won eight straight,[16] with a final 27–12 victory on Thanksgiving over Punahou in Honolulu to finish 11–1.

[29] In November 1981, undefeated Borah regained the state title with a 30–13 win over Boise,[30][31] in the Lions' closest game of the year (17 points).

The Lions (12–0, with two shutouts) were unchallenged all season, winning by an average score of 37–9,[32] earning a national top-20 ranking in multiple publications.

[36] He was succeeded by Wil Overgaard in May 1987, the head coach at nearby Bishop Kelly for three seasons and a graduate of rival Capital.

[44][45] The boys' track team has won four consecutive titles on three separate occasions, with different head coaches: 1960–63 (Ed Troxel), 1981–84 (Rich Dickson), and 2004–07 (Chester Grey).

[47] Boys Girls Combined The school sits on a sprawling campus, with five permanent buildings, connected by outdoor "breezeways."

[71] Athletic facilities include Bill Wigle Field (former home to several minor league baseball teams, including the Boise Hawks), an indoor batting cage facility, synthetic-rubber track and several other fields used for physical education classes and extra-circular activities.

From its founding in 1958 through 2011, the school's varsity football team played its home games at Bronco Stadium on the campus of Boise State University, about four miles (6 km) east.