The college was opened in 1903 in Ponsonby, by the Marist Brothers. It is the oldest continuously existing Catholic boys' secondary school in Auckland although it has changed its location, moving to its current Glen Innes site in 1955. St Paul's College was founded on the old Sacred Heart College site in that year. The Marist Brothers continue to be a presence in the school community, with both teaching and maintenance of school grounds undertaken in part by the Brothers. The headmaster role at the college was served solely by Marist Brothers up until 1993, when Brendan Schollum took the role; the college's first lay principal. In 2003, the college held its centennial celebrations, which included the opening of a new administration building, technology block and Year 7 and 8 Department, and in 2005 it celebrated 50 years of being at the Glen Innes site. At the end of 2006, Jim Dale became the third lay headmaster at Sacred Heart College, taking over from Phillip Mahoney.
Education
Sacred Heart currently offers NCEA as its national qualification standard. In the 2007 academic year, the school's board of trustees and management team began an Academic Review. This will look at the schools current assessment process and performance, and whether the school should look at alternative courses of education, such as Cambridge International Examinations and the International Baccalaureate.
Sport
Sacred Heart offers a wide range of sporting options to its pupils, though it is traditionally a school with a very strong rugby culture. Sacred Heart won four titles in the 2006 season, with its 3A, 3B, 5A and 5B teams victorious. The Under-15 Open team won the North Island Catholic Boys Under 15 Tournament, held at Francis Douglas Memorial College in that year also. The Sacred Heart 1st XV remains the only team never to have been relegated from the 1A grade. The 2011 1st XV was one of the more successful teams in college history and went unbeaten in the 1A competition round robin and won the Moascar Cup, Fitzpatrick Kirckpatrick cup, Hibernian Shield and the Marist Quadrangular Cup. Also in 2016 and 2017 the 1st XV reached the final of the Auckland 1A competition, losing on both occasions. Other Sports include: Football, Cricket, Water Polo, Tennis, Cycling, Basketball, Hockey, Badminton, Rowing, Swimming and Athletics. For 2007, a new Sports Institute has been opened for boys in years 7–10. Currently, the only sports on offer for this academy are Cricket, Football, Rugby union, Tennis and Water Polo, though this is likely to expand to include other sports in subsequent years.
Houses
The houses of Sacred Heart College are named after either famous people in the Catholic and Marist community in New Zealand, or important figures in the school's history. The six houses are:
Basil
Basil House is named after Brother Basil, who taught at the college for over 50 years, and was also the college's first principal.
Coolahan
Coolahan House is named after the landowner who donated the land for the original site of the college in Ponsonby, now the site of St. Paul's College.
Lenihan
Lenihan House is named after the Bishop of Auckland in 1903, who saw the need for a Catholic boys' school in the area and was a driving force in Sacred Heart's foundation.
Marcellin
Marcellin house is named after Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist order.
Stephen House is named after Brother Stephen Coll FMS, a well known former teacher and Marist Brother at the college. There is also a seventh 'House', Leonard House, named after Brother Leonard Tobin FMS, which is home to the senior boarding students in the college hostel.
Boarding hostel
The boarding hostel is home to roughly 160–170 boarders from all over New Zealand and from overseas.
Notable alumni
The official alumni group is the Sacred Heart College Old Boys Association. Some of these well-known men include:
