[4] John Jay was built in 1968 and opened in September, 1969 to accommodate the growth of the Wappingers School District.

The school is geographically surrounded by IBM East Fishkill.

The presence of IBM in the area has fueled and helped to fund a model example of a high school engineering focus.

Some of the classes are eligible for college credit through the Rochester Institute of Technology.

[5][6] John Jay's percentage of students going on to two- and four-year colleges has been in the 90s.