It is located in the historic South End neighborhood, adjacent to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

Cathedral High School serves a diverse and primarily urban student population, most of whom live in the city of Boston.

Students entering grades 7 through 9 are required to attend the three-week program focused on project-based applied mathematics, problem solving, and summer reading.

[7] Through strategic partnerships with Boston area businesses, Cathedral students can apply to a number of paid summer and school-year internships in a variety of industries.

[15] Kadeem Edge, a wide receiver on the 2012 championship team, was selected as a Boston Herald All-Scholastic and was also named a Catholic Central Small All-Star.

Also with the rise of the Class of 2015 who went 41-9 in their tenure at Cathedral included Kejonte Hickman, Jermal Jackson, Justice Turner, Elijah Marcelo, Trehme Haney, Bryan Cedeno and Khalik Clerville.

[citation needed] In 2011, the football team nearly won the MIAA Division 4A State Championship, but lost due to a controversial official's call which overturned a potential game-winning touchdown in the final minutes.

With approximately six minutes remaining in the game, Cathedral quarterback Matt Owens raced around the right side of the line and split the defense for a potential 56-yard game-winning touchdown run.

[16] The referees threw a flag on the play and called an unsportsmanlike penalty on Owens, which negated the touchdown and moved the Panthers back fifteen yards from the original line of scrimmage.

In the aftermath, Boston mayor Thomas Menino was critical of the call and invited the entire Cathedral football team to lunch.

The school honors alumni-athletes and supporters biennially in a hall of fame induction, among which is notable class of 1984 alumna and WNBA player Michelle "Ice" Edwards.

Tufts Medical Center partners with Cathedral to provide athletic training services and team physicians to serve at home games.

[20] Some of the extracurricular activities and clubs available include: The 54th Massachusetts Regiment is an American Civil War reenactment group where students live out and learn history, travel for weekend events, and hold talks.

Voices helps members refine skills as a creative and performer and hosts quarterly open mic nights featuring students, alumni, faculty, and visiting poets.

Cathedral has a chapter of the National Honor Society and are selected for membership based on criteria of scholarship, service, leadership, and character.