In the Chinese language, "Ying" means English, and "Hua" means Chinese. Together, "YingHua" means blossom, the most magnificent state of a plant, which captures the essence of a Chinese-English dual language school like YingHua International School.

On May 4, 2002, Dr. Bonnie Liao founded YingHua Language School (YHLS), a non-profit, weekend-based school that was the first to fully adopt "Ma Li Ping Approach," a proven approach for Chinese language acquisition for heritage learners. It was also the first community school in the U.S. to be accredited by The Commission on Secondary Schools of the Middle States Association (CSS-MSA).

In 2007, Dr. Liao founded YingHua Day School (YHDS) to provide a full-time Chinese immersion program to a diverse student population starting from age 3 through elementary grades.

In spring 2009, YHDS changed its name to YingHua International School (YHIS) to fully reflect the school's international focus.