Archbishop Mitty High School was the first Archdiocesan high school in the Santa Clara Valley. The school was named for the late Archbishop John Joseph Mitty, the fourth Archbishop of San Francisco, who was both an educator and a builder. Construction of the school began in 1963, and when completed, the campus occupied its present twenty-four acres.
Initially, brothers and priests of the Society of Mary were given responsibility to conduct the school. The school opened in the fall of 1964 with 189 male students, and the first classes were held in Queen of Apostles Elementary School. The newly completed high school buildings were occupied in April of 1965. Archbishop Mitty High School expanded its student body in 1969 and began sharing classes with Mother Butler Memorial High School and St. Lawrence Girls’ High School. Consolidation of the three schools was completed by the fall of 1972. With the creation of the Diocese of San Jose in 1981, Archbishop Mitty became the only Catholic high school owned and administrated by the Diocese.
In 1990, Bishop DuMaine appointed Mr. Timothy Brosnan as the first lay principal to continue the fine tradition of Catholic secondary education at Archbishop Mitty. Under the new administration’s leadership, the school entered a period of tremendous academic and co-curricular growth. Supporting this dramatic growth was a massive expansion of the campus facilities, allowing all aspects of the campus community – academic, spiritual, and co-curricular – to grow to their full potential. Today, Archbishop Mitty High School is recognized as one of the premier Catholic, college preparatory schools in the United States.