Opened in 1889 as the Irving Avenue Public School, a four-room two-story structure at the corner of what was then called Irving Avenue and Churchill Street in the far western reaches of the 55 year old City of Toronto, this educational facility was one of six added to the Board of Education's 1889 roster of 41 buildings.  Others that were added were:  Crawford, Grace Hamilton, Leslie and Palmerston.

As the area population grew, so did the school.

In the 1890, a kindergarten was built and five years later, as a result of the city's decision to change Irving Avenue and Churchill Street to Antler Street and Perth Avenue, the school's name was changed to Perth Avenue Public School.  To keep up with the ever increasing neighbourhood student population, additions were constructed in 1907, 1908, 1914 and again in 1918, by which time Perth had grown to become a three-story structure with 26 classrooms with an eight room annex nearby.  It would be another 28 years before any new additions would be built.

Then in the first year following the end of the Second World War, a large gymnasium auditorium complex was constructed.  Attendance again started to grow and to alleviate some of the pressure, Osler Street School was built.  Shortly after, the Toronto Board of Education decided to replace Perth Avenue School with a brand new building, the cornerstone of which was laid on November 2, 1965.  The first pupils moved into this new and present structure at the start of the 1966 school year.  In 1978, the final renovation to include the addition for St. Luigi was completed.