[4] The school was named for Dr. Leo T. Doherty, an educator, who, over a period of forty years, served Worcester as a teacher, art director, assistant superintendent, and superintendent of schools.

[5] The school serves the west side (Pleasant & Chandler Street, Tatnuck Square, Salisbury Street, Forest Grove, Newton Square, and June, Mill, Pleasant, and May Streets neighborhoods) of Worcester.

The site of the former high school will be used for parking lots and an athletic complex.

Doherty Memorial High School has varsity teams in math and these sports: track, volleyball, baseball, lacrosse, football, cross country, soccer, field hockey, basketball, cheerleading, tennis, and FIRST Robotics.

The Doherty football team won the Massachusetts Division 4 State Championship at Gillette Stadium in 2013, defeating Dennis-Yarmouth by a score of 28–26.