The School was named after the seventh century Abbess of Whitby Saint Hilda.

In March 1942, St Hilda's evacuated 90 boarders to Pikedale homestead near Stanthorpe.

[11] St Hilda's is situated on a single, 14 hectares (35 acres) campus, featuring gardens and bushland, at Southport, located one hour's drive south of Brisbane on Australia's Gold Coast.

Built in 1995, the St Hilda's School Sports complex features indoor courts suitable for basketball, netball, badminton, and volleyball; a fitness gym; an artistic and rhythmic gymnastics area including a foam pit, balance beams and vaulting horse; and a 50m heated outdoor swimming pool.

As with most Australian schools, St Hilda's uses a [house system] to facilitate in-school competition in sporting and cultural events.

A highlight of this competition is the Inter-House Musicals which are held at the Gold Coast Arts Centre.

St Hilda's participates in a Student Exchange Program with a number of schools in the United States of America, England, New Zealand, Scotland, Canada, and South Africa.