The school opened its doors in 1956 to 460 students with 25 teachers and Lorne Fox as its principal, under the new name John F. Ross Collegiate Vocational Institute.

Recent trips offered include China in 2011, Eastern Europe in 2011, Africa (Me to We), Greece and Turkey in 2012, France in 2013, and Italy, Switzerland and Austria in March 2014.

This is due to its proximity to the downtown core as well as drawing in many students from the surrounding rural areas including nearby towns such as Rockwood.

In 2006 and 2008, the boys' baseball team was eliminated in the semi-finals in a game that needed extra innings against St. Michael's College School, and a loss to the eventual 2008 OFSAA champions Notre Dame Irish, respectively.

In the fall of 2009 the Royals defeated the Guelph Collegiate Gaels in District 10 football action to win city championship 13–7, their first title, in 11 years.

Ross's Junior Boys' basketball team lost the 2011 District 10 City Championship to Orangeville Bears in a lopsided affair, before advanced to CWOSSA and losing in round Robin to St. Mary's of Kitchener.

The Ross Royals track and field team has had an ongoing tradition of success rich with records and OFSAA medals since the early 1970s.

These provincial champions were accompanied by many other talented athletes that made up the 1970s "powerhouse" team led by coaches Donald Ranson and Don Sykes.

At the turn of the new millennium the Ross Royals saw another resurgence of major success in the form of freshman sprinter, Emily Johnson.

In 2002 Johnson proved to be the strongest sprinter in Ross' history setting midget girls' school records in the 100m and 200m.

Following his high school career, Kuruneri competed for the Guelph Gryphons where he later became the head jumps coach for the university's 36 time national championship winning team.

In 2014, freshman athlete Adam Lee joined the team and picked up a multitude of events spanning the sprints, jumps, throws, and hurdles.

Similarly to Lee, he was also proficient in many events, however he decided to focus on the high jump, javelin and pole vault for the season.

Comín and Lee are both winners of the CWOSSA overall champion award achieved by winning gold in all three of the athlete's individual events at the meet.

In the fall of 2017, newcomer Haley Davis immediately caught the attention of coaches by winning an OFSAA gold medal in the cross country season.

Rick Mercer once again visited the school and congratulated John F. Ross on raising over $100 000 total for the charity over the years.

For two weeks, classes set up events such as bake sales, video game parties, or a chance to slime a teacher, all to raise money for local nonprofit organizations and charities.