That school proved a success and so pope Gregory XIII ordered the construction of a larger institution, which opened on 28 October 1584 as the Roman College.

Those methods were followed in the Roman College until the Jesuits' suppression in 1773 and were restored with the order in 1814 by Pope Pius VII.

However, in 1873, Father Massimiliano Massimo (after whom the institute is named) inherited the Palazzo Peretti and, in 1879, made it available to the Jesuits for the re-foundation of a school to continue the Roman College's work in secondary education.

In 1960, due to a rise in student numbers, the Institute was transferred from Terme (near the Stazione Termini) to EUR, where it now stands.

Each year the school's Alumni Association awards a prize to an alumnus who has shown particular distinction in their professional, cultural, or social life and maintained their relationship with the Institute and the Society of Jesus, or to a staff member of the Society or Institute distinguished for their activity in teaching.