The new school at Dark Lane was designed by the county architect, F. K. Hicklin, and Kenneth Sprayson continued to be headmaster.

(The school building at College Road was built about 1879 and extended twice before being vacated and used as offices for the rural district council.)

The catchment area for Sir James Smith's is largely rural and covers an extensive and sparsely populated district of north Cornwall, stretching along the coast from Crackington Haven to Boscastle, Tintagel, and Port Isaac.

Available employment is frequently part-time and/or seasonal and the average wage is the lowest in the UK; whereas property and living costs are among the highest.

Students continuing their education now travel to other Sixth Form centres at Bude, Bodmin or Truro College.