It is renowned for graduating some of Jamaica's senior military officers, world class cricketers, academic scholars, performing artists, and Olympic athletes.

The Principal at St Jago High School is currently Collette Feurtado-Pryce, who was appointed to the position in January 2016.

St Jago was founded in 1744 under the will of Peter Beckford (junior), one of the wealthiest planters in the Colony of Jamaica.

Several other smaller endowments were made, resulting in the establishment of the St. Jago de la Vega Free School in 1744.

A century later, Francis Smith, then Custos Rotulorum of St. Catherine, bequeathed 300 pounds sterling in his will dated 1830, for the founding of a school in the parish.

The banner is of gold (or) and bears the original Latin motto of the school in black (sable) upper case letters.