The school was established in 1957 by the Sisters of Mercy. Sister Mary Justine Gillies was given the mission of founding Carmel College on donated land, initially with 15 students and no actual classrooms. Sister Justine gathered dedicated teaching Sisters and, as the school grew, these Sisters were joined by the first full-time lay teacher, Verena Butler, in 1963. Under Sister
Pauline Engel, the third principal of the College, who was appointed in 1983, the college undertook an programme of building, expanding and refurbishing. This included building a gymnasium, a food and technology block, an arts block, and the refurbishment of the science laboratories. On 19 June 2013,
Bishop Patrick Dunn and the mayor of Auckland,
Len Brown, opened the Harkins Building, which included a classroom block to accommodate music, drama, information technology and social sciences, a performing arts centre seating 160, a covered atrium providing break-out teaching and social spaces, and a new library overlooking Lake Pupuke. == Enrolment ==