[7] The school began in the downtown plaza Lugo adobe in 1865 as Saint Vincent's College at the behest of Archdiocese of Los Angeles Bishop Thaddeus Amat.

At that time, the Jesuits purchased additional property to house the college and acquired separate facilities for Loyola Law School just west of downtown Los Angeles.

[8] The school's recent campus development occurred in the 1980s: the gym, track, swimming pool, and additional classroom space were built after the administration secured significant donations.

Admission is based on standardized test scores, recommendations from the candidate's teachers, principal, and minister, involvement in extracurricular activities, a personal statement, and grades.

The first-year students serve as tutors on the Loyola campus for the award-winning High School Placement Test Prep Projects for 8th (October - January) and 7th graders (February - April), as well as assist with the Special Olympics.

Now in its 29th year, the Senior Service Project was featured in "Making A Difference" as part of the NBC National News hosted by Brian Williams on March 11, 2010.

Loyola students' community service has been regularly featured on the local news programs of the ABC affiliate, Channel 7, including Kool Kids and a fundraising car wash conducted on behalf of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the gang member reformation program founded by Greg Boyle, a Loyola graduate and former faculty member.

Several times over the year, the Cubs Urban Plunge in Los Angeles is offered to students and faculty as a way for them to better experience the community from the position of the poor, disenfranchised, and marginalized.

In June 2009, Loyola launched a five-week academic exchange and service immersion with Colegio Del Salvador, the Jesuit high school in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

In 2010, Loyola again conducted a six-week Argentina Intercambio program based in Buenos Aires, which expanded to include nine days in metropolitan Montevideo, Uruguay.

[20] Loyola is an active member of the Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN), an association of 70 US Jesuit high schools, colleges, and universities engaged in social advocacy and justice education for students and adults.

National and regional topical workshops included Loyola's hosting 500 students and adults from the US and Mexico for the 2008 ISN conference on comprehensive immigration reform.

In recent years, Loyola delegations have participated in national conferences on racism and poverty in New Orleans (2007) and comprehensive immigration advocacy in Washington, DC (2009).

The Cubs matched their still-standing state record in the 2015-2016 school year, winning section titles in golf, lacrosse, swimming, volleyball, and soccer.

Top All-Boys Athletic Program in the nation[33] as ranked by ESPN RISE: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Loyola's football team competes in the highly competitive Serra League.