The new school was named after Saint Damien de Veuster, who devoted his life to caring for Hansen's Disease patients on Molokai during the 19th century.

The Congregation of Christian Brothers, parents and students volunteered to turn the land - which included 4 acres (16,000 m2) of taro patches and a good deal of uneven swampland - into a school campus because the company that started construction on Damien went bankrupt.

[4] In the beginning week of September 2023, Damien High School visited Damien Memorial for the second time, joining together for their first joined liturgy and football match held in the nearby Farrington High School.

[5] Damien, in its 60 years of athletic competition, has primarily played within Division II.

As recently as the 2021–2022 season, Damien's Varsity Boys Baseball Team had emerged as Division II State Champions, representing the Interscholastic League of Honolulu and winning the ILH their third consecutive state championship.