In 1922 the cornerstone of the first Catholic Archdiocesan high school was placed at Vincent and Regina Avenues in Price Hill. The school was called Elder and named in honor of the third Archbishop of Cincinnati, William Henry Elder, who had served the Archdiocese from 1880 to 1904. The school was to be the first of thirteen such schools constructed in the Greater Cincinnati area.
In the spring of 1923 Elder graduated eight students from its newly completed facility. These eight were to be the first of nearly 15,000 to graduate from the same building in seventy years.

As Elder began to grow, a certain spirit and character known as Elder grew with it. During its early years the school was co-educational; however, in 1928 Seton High School was established to accommodate girls, leaving Elder an all boys' school staffed by the priests of the Archdiocese and lay teachers. Since then Elder has grown into one of the largest all boys' schools in the Archdiocese and in the state.

In the 1930's a group of faculty members and students began work on what has become the premier high school football stadium in the city. The real impetus of construction, however, took place in the mid-1940's. In December of 1947 the stadium was completed. The stadium can accommodate more than 9,000 people and has attracted more than a million and a half fans over its half-century existence.

As Elder's population dramatically increased in the post-World War II era, the need arose for a larger physical plant. To meet this need, two temporary buildings known as "the barracks" were constructed on the east side of the campus. These yielded to the construction of a permanent east wing completed in 1959 including a cafeteria, gym, classrooms and science labs. In 1963 a third building was erected including 12 classrooms.

As the number of sports programs increased the need arose for expanded athletic facilities. In the late 1970's plans were made for the Elder Memorial Fieldhouse. Known as "The Pit," the 1,900 capacity facility serves a number of purposes including basketball, convocations and all-school Masses.