Emmanuel High School first opened its doors to 38 students enrolled in Grades 7 and 8 in September 1975 in the former Surrey Gardens elementary school, which belonged to the then Protestant School Board of Montreal. For the three succeeding years, an additional grade was added until the first year of graduates left the school in 1979.

Once the High School was completed, parents began to ask for the elementary grades to be added and so a start was made with Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2 in September 1981. Grades 3 and 4 were added in September 1982 and Grades 5 and 6 in September 1983 to provide a complete school from Kindergarten through Secondary V.

In 1991, the school moved out of the premises it had rented for 16 years in Dorval in search of a permanent location. For two years, the school was located in temporary quarters on Gouin Boulevard in Pierrefonds. Then, in 1993, the school took possession of its own building at the location on St. John's Boulevard in Dollard-des-Ormeaux and, after renovations were completed, moved in, appropriately, on Thanksgiving weekend.

In September 2009, a new French high school sector was added with Secondary I and II. Secondary III is available as of September 2010. Secondary IV and V will be added over the next two years.