The 1969 Iraqi government nationalization and expulsion of Jesuit teachers changed the character of the school.

It has been compared in the British media to Eton College[1] and is arguably Iraq's most famous secondary school for boys, having produced an Iraqi prime minister, a deputy prime minister, a vice president, two dollar billionaires and a member of the British House of Lords, among many other notable alumni.

[5] Father Leo Guay designed the campus buildings, using Iraqi architecture as an influence.

National Public Radio stated that at the time it was Baghdad's "premier high school.

Baghdad College's pupils included Iraqis, Armenians, Egyptians, Iranians, Palestinians, and Syrians.

[2]: 234 The school did not attempt to convert Muslims into Christianity,[5] and students were not required to attend chapel services.

[5] Laith Kubba, an Iraqi activist and former student, stated that the school helped him become a better Muslim.