It was founded in 1996 on 4810 Bradford Drive, previously known as Catholic High School.

A new 55-acre (220,000 m2) campus was completed in late 2010 in Thornton Research Park.

The new campus includes a chapel, academic wings, auditorium, gymnasium, and athletic fields.

The boys' cross country team took the state championship in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

[6][additional citation(s) needed] St. John Paul II Catholic High School is governed by a board of trustees in accordance with policies of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama.