Södra Latin has a rich history, as its predecessor Södermalms Pedagogia employed its first headmaster as far back as in 1654.

The structure was conceived in a way that would allow daylight to directly illuminate all rooms and corridors inside it, with 21 classrooms having been built in total.

Typical of the design - in addition to the monumental orange-red brick facade - is a semicircular assembly hall placed centrally in the school's building plan.

Between 1976 and 1978 the establishment successively replaced the music department of Statens normalskola in Östermalm, becoming consummate in 1980.

Several prominent Swedish people have received their schooling at Södra Latin, many of them artists or other cultural personalities.