The school was founded in 1928 by Mrs. Henry Brophy in memory of her late husband, as a Jesuit high school that included first year college courses. The Regis Hall building (renamed Frank C. Brophy Jr. Hall in 2006), the Jesuit residence, and the chapel were completed in 1928, and the school began operating that same year as a college and high school. The Great Depression caused a major financial strain, forcing it to close in 1935. Most of the male students who previously attended Brophy transferred to another local Catholic high school, St. Mary's, which had become an all-girls school once Brophy opened. The boys brought their athletic gear from Brophy with them to St. Mary's, causing St. Mary's to change its school colors from red and white to green and white, the previous Brophy colors.