The Academy was founded in Honolulu by the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts after Bishop Libert Boeynaems, SS.CC., discovered the need for a Catholic secondary school tailored to meet the needs of young women in the community.

In September 1909, the school welcomed its first 75 students and 19 borders to the campus, founded in an area of overgrown keawe and guava trees in the heart of Kaimuki.

In 1990, the Sisters passed on the administration of Sacred Hearts Academy to a lay staff.

Today, the school continues the tradition of providing a quality Catholic education for women, established by the Sisters in the islands in 1859.