The school was founded to provide a Catholic school option to poor and immigrant families (primarily European) moving into Minneapolis in the late 19th century. This mission continues to this day, to provide a Catholic and college preparatory education to students from all family and socio-economic backgrounds. The school provides over $3.0 million of financial assistance to assist 53 percent of its students with reduced tuition. In addition to its socio-economic diversity, DeLaSalle is the most diverse Catholic School in the state of Minnesota as measured by almost all demographic areas: 45% of its students are people of color, 35% matriculate from single-parent households, and 33% have been raised in faiths other than Catholic.