The school was founded in 1884 by the Dominican fathers of the Church of Saint Vincent Ferrer to meet the growing immigrant population. It was originally a co-educationalelementary school, with the high school being added in 1909. The present school building was erected in 1954, the same year it became an all-girlscollege-preparatoryhigh school. The grammar school closed in 1985, and twelve years later the Advisory Board was created. The school was accredited by Middle States Association in 2002, two years after the Scholars Program was inaugurated.
Saint Vincent Ferrer High School is one of the few select high schools in New York City which participates in the College Advantage Program of St. John's University. Seniors and Juniors are able to earn up to 18 college credits in while attending college-level classes at Ferrer during the regular school day with their regular Ferrer faculty, who have been approved by St. John's as adjunct professors.
Demographics
As of 2022-23, the school had an enrollment of 401 students. There were 32 teachers for a student-teacher ratio of 12:1.
The school's student body was 52.4% White, 26.2% Hispanic, 8.7% Asian, 7.5% Black, and 3.7% two or more races.