Loyola Academy was founded as a Roman Catholic, Jesuit, college preparatory school for young men in 1909.

While St. Ignatius transitioned to being solely a preparatory school and remained in the same location, Loyola Academy and University were established in Rogers Park.

All three institutions were named after the Basque intellectual and a military officer in the army of a Duke, St. Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuits.

Loyola also offers the O'Shaughnessy Program, which assists students who show the potential for success in college but may require smaller classes and extra help from teachers.

The school fields a Certamen team and in 2005 six students received perfect scores on the National Latin Examination.

The men's lacrosse team won 11 State Titles and 11 runner ups with three straight championships with from 2002 to 2004, with its most recent in 2018.

In November 2011, the Loyola Academy football team lost to Bolingbrook in the class 8A Illinois State championship.

On November 24, 2018 Loyola won the 2018 IHSA 8A Football Championship by beating Brother Rice High School 13–3.

[14] In 2023, Loyola Academy went undefeated and beat Lincoln-Way East High School again to capture their fifth state championship win.

[15] In 2024, Loyola Academy defeated York Community High School to capture their third-consecutive state championship.