The school is located at 153 Van Order Drive in the city's Calvin Park neighbourhood.

Loyalist was the third public high school in the city and was needed to accommodate the first wave of the baby boom generation then entering their teen years.

Following the closure of Queen Elizabeth Collegiate and Vocational Institute in 2016, students already attending QECVI were transferred to LCVI, and enrollment is now projected to be stable until about 2020.

Under principal John "Jack" Linscott[1] from 1963 until 1984, LCVI was highly successful in combining technical and trades education with traditional academics.

As when it first opened, LCVI again shares space with grade 7 and 8 students who attend Calvin Park Public School.