The school has educated Olympians, local public figures and a Nobel laureate (Professor Charles Kao, Father of fibre optics),[4] and members of Hong Kong's most prominent families.

Later that year, however, hundreds of Portuguese families had taken refuge in Hong Kong after a disastrous typhoon had swept over Macau causing the school's enrolment to double after just a few weeks.

He had been a teacher in New York and Quebec, had held the directorship of several schools in his native land, Canada, and had taught in London and Paris.

In order to cater to the needs of the fast-growing school, a piece of land in Glenealy below Robinson Road was bought, and a two-story Victorian building became home to the College in 1881.

Enrolment had then increased to 409, and two Chinese were employed as staff members by the college; in the same year, a third floor was added to the school building to accommodate boarders.

Some Brothers fled to Vietnam and became guests of the Dominicans and the Jesuits, while others were kept as prisoners of war in the local concentration camps.

The campus was kept in shape by a minor staffer called Ah Yiu, who also smuggled essentials into the camps for the Brothers.

In 1962, Club Germania was demolished and the modern eight-storey New Building was erected under Principal Brother Brenden Dunne.

The modern New Building (south block), which replaced the original Club Germania on the site, houses the New Hall, senior laboratories, a library, computer rooms and a basketball court.

In 2016,[9] the College successfully acquired the former St. Paul's Co-educational Primary School at 26 Kennedy Road, a Grade 1 Historical Building,[10] from the Education Bureau.

In the long term, the New Hall block will be rebuilt, featuring a multipurpose basketball court, a swimming pool and other sports facilities.

A life experience hub will also be built under the atrium, providing short term accommodation for junior students.

St Joseph's College developed an Apache web server in the 1990s, and launched Green & White Online, one of the first secondary school websites in Hong Kong.

The school motto Labore et Virtute (Latin); "勤勞與美德" (Chinese); Labour and Virtue (English) — is meant to summarise the life of Saint Joseph.

The top division shows the Signum Fidei (a sign of faith) - a five-pointed, radiant star, which is taken from the insignia of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

The right lower division shows three chevrons symbolizing broken bones, reminding students of the bravery and zeal the Saint promoted.

The left lower division shows the book of knowledge on top (with the Alpha and Omega inscribed) and a lamp below; together they symbolise the importance of education, something which Jean-Baptiste de la Salle emphasised.

The shield stands with a compartment with supporters each of the French lily, as the Lasallian family originates in Rheims, France.