The Roman Catholics of St. Patrick's Parish petitioned the government in 1846 for aid in educating their children, since most parents could not afford to pay school fees.

The high school was moved to the Worrall Building, at the corner of Barrington Street and Proctor's Lane, in 1886.

[2] The Saint Patrick's Girls' School opened in 1888 nearby on Brunswick Street to help relieve overcrowding.

Graduation ceremonies were temporarily held in the auditorium of nearby Queen Elizabeth High School.

[2] The new Saint Patrick's High School opened in September 1954 and a foundation stone was unveiled by Premier Harold Connolly.

The school was a strict Catholic institution in the early years, with boys and girls segregated and directed by separate principals.

They form a cultural awareness group and attend a provincial conference to promote leadership in the black community.

The underused building cost $400,000 a year to run at this time, and was called a "poster child for wasteful inaction by local government" by the Chronicle Herald in July 2014.

[7] On early March 27, 2015, a 500 square foot area of the roof of the 1960s section of the school building collapsed under the weight of snow and ice.

The tender to demolish the school was scheduled to close on April 7, but was extended so bidders could address any issues caused by the roof collapse.

[9] In 2006, St. Pat's Vice Principal Wade Smith, an African-Canadian, stirred up some controversy with his suggestion to establish an Africentric school in Nova Scotia.

[10] While the comment was initially an off-the-cuff remark, it was widely debated and generated strong feelings from both sides of the argument.

He suggested that a change is needed because the current system is failing black students, many of whom receive low grades and are at increased risk of dropping out of school.