Dougherty High School was built in an effort to accommodate East Albany and the growing number of students from two nearby military bases.

Sports supported by the school include track, football, basketball, tennis, softball, soccer, cross country, wrestling, golf and cheerleading.

[citation needed] Dougherty won the boys' GHSA State Basketball Championships in 1997 (AAA), 2001 & 2023 (AAAA).

DCHS chorale has won local and national awards and achievements and received praise and acknowledgment from the media.

They performed for President Jimmy Carter in January 2005 at the National Annual Black Caucus Convention, in Washington, D.C. (for five years straight dating back to September 2003).

They have performed with gospel artists Richard Smallwood and Vickie Winans, with classical composers James Mulholland and Moses Hogan, and with the Southeastern Symphony Orchestra.

The existing classrooms and support spaces in the main building will be renovated and modified to include new finishes (floor coverings, ceilings, interior wall finishes/systems, skylights), new mechanical/HVAC, electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinkler systems.

Other renovations and modifications included reconstructing and modernizing the gym, finishing the renovation of the auditorium, converting the auto mechanics garage to a shooting range for the Marine Corps JROTC, and converting the construction garage to a health occupations lab.