Founding Head of School Julia Henry and a group of North Shore parents opened Roycemore School in 1915 at 640 Lincoln Street in Evanston.

Miss Henry had been principal of the Lower School at Girton School for Girls in Winnetka, and many of the faculty and students followed her to Roycemore. The school was named after Miss Henry’s grandfather, Andrew Royce, who was a well-known Congregational minister in Barre, Vermont, in the 1800s. The Royce family crest was adopted for the school, inspiring the school’s colors of blue and gold, the motto “fortis et prudens simul,” or strength and careful judgment go together, and even the school’s mascot, the griffin.

In 1968 the first boy graduated, alone in a class of six.

Roycemore moved from its original location to 1200 Davis Street in Evanston in late December 2011, having extensively renovated the building that was previously the home of the First United Methodist Board of Pensions.

A full-size gymnasium was added to the site and the second semester of classes began at the current campus in January 2012.

In June of 2013, long-time Headmaster Joseph Becker retired (1976-2013), having ushered in a new era of Roycemore in time for the school to celebrate its centennial throughout the 2015-2016 school year.

By the 2022-23 school year, enrollment at Roycemore reached over 260 students while preserving the school’s 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio.