However, the high school is governed by a Board of Managers consisting of community leaders and business people along with a president and principal.

The elementary and middle schools are governed by a different president and principal and are independent of the IHHS Board of Managers.

By 1931, the school had outgrown the building, and the diocese purchased another property known as Villa Carondelet in the foothills of the Rincon Mountains, east of downtown Tucson.

[2] The religious institute of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was founded in Spain in 1848 by Father Joachim Masmitjá.

During a stop in their journey back to California, Bishop Henry Granjon of Tucson, Arizona invited the sisters to stay and they accepted.

It was a private boarding school for girls, built of stone harvested from "A" Mountain — a peak that sits on the outskirts of the city.

It is accredited as a college preparatory high school and is a member of the National Catholic Educational Association, Washington, D.C.

In late 2005, Immaculate Heart made known that it was in the process of developing a strategic plan to try to revive the high school campus.

The high school initiated a 3-5 year capital campaign, which included an increase in staffing to help increase enrolment, along with investing in cutting edge curriculum including Astrobiology and Virtual High School Netcourse, which open over 200 elective courses to IHHS students.The neighborhood surrounding the school's campuses is known as Suffolk Hills, named for the countess of Suffolk, who was a frequent visitor to Tucson from England many decades ago.