Coronado High School, named after the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, opened to students in grades 9-12 during fall 1961 as a public comprehensive high school with an emphasis on college preparatory and vocational/technical curriculum.

[2] Ralph Haver, the noted Phoenix mid-century architect, designed the original school, mostly made of pre-cast concrete.

[3] Haver also designed numerous public and commercial buildings, as well as tract homes and private residences in Phoenix and Scottsdale, during the 1950s and 1960s.

Coronado High was overhauled by DLR Group for the 2008–09 school year, though the white folded plate motif was kept in the new structures as a nod to the former appearance.

It was originally designed by Joe Gatti, who also created another symbol of the school, the Seven Arts mosaic on the auditorium.