A unit of the Savannah-Chatham County School System,[2] it has been ranked number 819 among Newsweek magazine's top 1,500 U.S. secondary schools based on advanced placement and International Baccalaureate test scores.

[5] Johnson High was originally named Powell Laboratory School when it opened on Savannah's eastside in 1959.

In 1960 the school was renamed after Sol C. Johnson, a prominent local journalist, philanthropist, educator, and editor of the Savannah Tribune, the nation's oldest newspaper catering to African-Americans.

[citation needed] Academic programs at Johnson High include the ninth-grade academy and the International Baccalaureate.

Like most large high schools, Johnson includes a range of special education and advanced placement courses.