In 1947 Homewood and Mountain Brook residents approved a five-mill property tax to support development of a new school, which opened in the Fall of 1949.

The building was dedicated on May 25, 1950, and had an initial enrollment of 870 students, which more than doubled by 1956 before Mountain Brook formed its own school system.

[3] When it was established, SVHS was designed to serve students from across Homewood, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, and Hoover.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held October 18, 1994, at the new site and the new school building opened to students on August 14, 1996.

It contains 78 classrooms, three science laboratories, a teaching kitchen, nine computer labs, two gymnasiums, a weight room, a large state-of-the-art auditorium, and band and choral suites.