In the early 1960s, the Carmelites and the Sisters of Charity were asked to build separate but similar Catholic high schools for the northern part of the Archdiocese of Chicago; an area corresponding roughly to Lake County.

Following a lengthy planning process, the decision was made by the Carmelites and the BVM Sisters to combine the two schools and establish a board of directors.

The demographic breakdown of the 1,318 students enrolled in 2015-16 was:[1] Carmel's athletic teams are named Corsairs, and the school's colors are brown, gold, and white.

The school sponsors both men's and women's teams in basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball.

The drama program is a troupe of the International Thespian Society and has had students participate in the Illinois High School Theatre Festival.