[3] Located in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Notre Dame was designated a United States Department of Education Blue Ribbon school for 1990–1991 and 1994–1996 .

At that time, some Holy Cross brothers were already on the staff at a Long Beach parish high school, St. Anthony, and have had a presence in the area since the 1850's.

Father Cavanaugh, the newly-appointed president of the University of Notre Dame and two local priests visited the Riverside Drive location and purchased the land in 1945.

[6] During the 1970s, Notre Dame went through a tumultuous period where enrollment dipped dangerously low, as was the trend throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles at that time.

Notre Dame announced it would admit girls starting from the 1983–84 academic year, a move which helped them to weather the decline in the enrollment encountered by other Catholic high schools in the San Fernando Valley area due to the aging population and competition from other private schools.