Although Scoil Treasa Naofa itself was not opened until 1930 the involvement of the Christian Brothers in the area began as far back as 1818. In that year the Most Rev. Dr. Murray, Archbishop of Dublin, requested Edmund Rice to open the second school in Dublin. Br Rice sent two Brothers, Joseph Keane and Baptist Green to open a school in Mill St. just off the Coombe, a short distance from the present Scoil Treasa Naofa. Between the two Brothers, they taught 250 boys aged between seven and seventeen. The school expanded rapidly until five brothers were teaching 600 pupils.
The year 1839 was disastrous for Mill St. school. On the 6th of January 1839, a huge storm swept across the country. On that night Mill St. School lost its roof, a blow from which it never recovered. The Brothers could not afford to carry out the necessary repairs but they kept the school open for five more years. The lease was up in 1846 and the landlord demanded a 100% increase. The Brothers could not pay and they were evicted.
Around that time the population of Donore Avenue parish was beginning to grow. This area was known as Fairbrothers Fields and was a farming area with market-gardening and dairying being its main industries. It remained open until the nineteen-twenties when the Corporation acquired it for housing.
With the building of a Church and the growth in population in the Donore Avenue part of the Meath St. parish, a school was needed. The Archbishop, Most Rev. Dr. Edward Byrne, wrote to the Superior General of the Christian Brothers requesting him to open a school in Donore Avenue. The Superior General readily agreed. The task of acquiring a site for the proposed school and supervising the building began. A triangular plot of land was acquired in Fairbrothers Fields. A lease for 150 years was signed in 1928 for a plot measuring 3 roods and 21 perches. The building commenced on 15th August 1929. The school was completed by the following year for £12,500.
The Board of Management has legal responsibility for the overall running of the school. The Board works in co-operation with the Department of Education and Science, the Principal and staff, parents, and the wider community to ensure the effective and efficient operation of the school.
