From its beginnings, HA established strong academic and religious education programs that included four years of English, Latin, science, history, and fine arts.

For example, in the World War I years, it was not unusual for HA students to raise money for Liberty Bonds and then on Saturdays learn to pour tea and do "lady-like" things like "china painting."

However, the Academy's core mission, reflecting the vision and example shared by the BVM order, its nineteen principals, staff, and alumnae over the years, was maintained until its closing.

Together with a group of dedicated SDS and lay instructors, she established a college preparatory program that also featured a wide range of extracurricular activities that included student government, forensics, debate, drama, journalism, and Sodality.

Still, in the face of the conditions facing both schools connected with declining enrollment, the drop in the number of teaching sisters, and severe budget deficits, the two sponsoring religious orders, parents, students, and alumnae maintained their faith in continuing the mission of providing Catholic high school education for young women.

By then, the Sisters of the Divine Savior were finding it increasingly burdensome to continue their ownership of some of their institutions, which led to their closing.

[6] In 1976, a DS alumna, Angela T. Pienkos, was named to the newly created position of chief administrator with a set of responsibilities that combined the duties of principal and those of leader of development.

Working with a restructured and supportive Advisory Board, she energetically initiated the strengthening of educational programs and took on the task of putting the school on a solid financial footing.

One response to declining enrollment and financial problems was for all-boys schools, two of them in the Milwaukee area, to consider altering their mission and turning co-educational.

DSHA, too, was faced with this challenge when it was announced that the Jesuit-sponsored all-boys Marquette University High School of Milwaukee (MUHS) had begun an effort to gain support for its own move to becoming co-ed.

They led to MUHS’ decision to remain an all-boys school, an action that enabled both DSHA and MUHS to thrive into the 21st century – with both achieving capacity enrollments and offering Milwaukee area parents and students more high-quality Catholic, single-gender secondary school educational options.

The centennial events recalled the contributions of its founding religious sponsors, teachers, staff, and parents who had worked for and supported the school and its predecessors.

These physical changes were accompanied by a new strategic plan, revised mission and vision statements, a new logo, and new school uniforms.

In 2015, DSHA made another addition knocking down the original gymnasium, and building the Chris and John McDermott Gymnasium, the R. J. Fridl Commons, Sarah M. Hegarty Fitness Center, a new academic wing with a music suite, and the Mother of Our Savior Chapel with the DuBois Campus Ministry center.

The DSHA theater department also offers classes to students in performance, play-writing, and stagecraft for school credit.

The high school has a student council, a Model UN, forensics team, National Honor Society, foreign exchange programs, and culture and hobby-orientated clubs.