The school has a large percentage (65%) of pupils from Sikh, Hindu and Islamic communities.

The girls' grammar school at Holly Lodge, formerly the home of the Downing family, opened in 1922, moving to a new building in 1927.

It settled in Newport, Shropshire, sharing Adams Grammar School: AGS in the mornings and Holly Lodge in the afternoons.

A Science and Technology block was built in 1970 prior to the amalgamation of the boys' and girls' schools.

In September 1992, the modern Holly Lodge officially began when three schools in West Smethwick merged.