Due to high rates of crime and poor academic performance, the school closed permanently in 2014.

It houses four smaller separately-administered public high schools that share facilities and sports teams.

[1] The school features several decorative design elements, including splayed lintels, a stepped gable at top of the right (west) side of the front facade with arched windows, and a hipped roof.

[2] The building stands three stories high with a basement, extending horizontally 400 feet (120 m) east-to-west over the large property.

The wings have an axial arrangement, meeting in the center at the entrance hall and extending northward 200 feet (61 m) towards the rear of the school.

[11] The entrance pavilion is characterized by granite Ionic columns, atop which sits a triangular pediment with a clock in the center.

[2][11][6][12][23] Its main feature is a multi-purpose field for football, baseball, softball and other sports, circumscribed by a running track.

[2][11] A 12-foot (3.7 m) wide pathway runs east-to-west connecting with the entrances, and leading to gates in the fence at 168th Street and Chapin Parkway.

[12][25] The central pathway from the school to Gothic Drive splits in two separate stairways before intersecting with the street, forming a crescent shape.

[3] In 1895, the Jamaica Board of Education purchased the lot on Hillside Avenue in order to construct the new school.

[1] Until the turn of the century, both Jamaica High School locations were racially segregated, barring African American students from attending.

[8] Following the relocation of the high school to Jamaica Hills, the Board of Education retained control of the older building and put it to various uses over the years.

It housed the Jamaica Learning Center, an alternative public high school, at the time of its designation as a New York City landmark in 2013.

[1] The site of the current Jamaica High School building was originally part of the Clark estate.

[34][35][36][37] In June 1923, the New York City Board of Estimate approved the Clark site, in spite of protests from local parents.

Upon exhuming the site, it was discovered that the bed of the future building consisted of clay, similar to that of Goose Pond in nearby Captain Tilly Park.

[2] Meanwhile, accusations of faulty construction persisted, evidenced by warping of school floors due to water damage.

A road provisionally named "Upland Parkway" had initially been planned directly in front of the school, but was not built.

[2] In January 1930, the plans for the athletic complex were doubled in size, extending all the way to the Grand Central Parkway on what is now Thomas A. Edison High School.

[47] The field was dedicated on May 10, 1932, prior to a playoff baseball game between Jamaica and Richmond Hill High School.

Temporary seating was erected for the event, with Mayor Jimmy Walker and Queens Borough President George U. Harvey in attendance.

[9][13] The Gateway to Higher Education was founded by New York City in September 1986, establishing a program within Jamaica High School.

[54] In response, regular metal detector screenings were instituted, along with increased NYPD police presence, and a zero-tolerance discipline policy.

[57][58] Under the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, students were allowed to transfer from the school, which may have led to a decrease in enrollment.

[2][22] However, that year the New York City Department of Education made plans to close the school, citing a graduation rate that "has stagnated below 50% for years," low performance grades, low attendance rates, decreasing enrollment, and safety issues.

[14][61] By 2011 the Board of Education began to phase out Jamaica High School, no longer accepting new students.

[9][62] Jamaica High School closed permanently in June 2014, graduating its final class of only 24 students.

[9][63][64] The building, now officially the Jamaica Educational Campus, remains in use and houses smaller public high schools that share facilities and sports teams.

[70] Jamaica High School also held an annual boat race in their pool, where students demonstrated their knowledge of laws of physics and art skills.

[24] Principals for a Day included actors Ed Lover and Steve Harvey, and Gold medal Olympic winner and graduate of Jamaica High School, Bob Beamon.