It was founded in 1958 and is a Roman Catholic maintained school within the Southern Education and Library Board area.

In September 2015, a new Principal of St Joseph's Boys' High School, Declan Murray, was appointed.

[12] Such characteristics were reflected in the schools praise for academic results and achievement in a variety of subject areas, including ICT and numeracy, as well as recognised standards set in literacy.

[13] The 2014 inspection concluded that above 90% of boys attending the school at that time were found to be making better or at least the expected progress in Key Stage 3 Numeracy and Mathematics, whilst acknowledging that boys continue to attain well within numeracy and mathematics at Key Stage 4.

[15] Between 2011–2014, roughly one–half of boys were entered for GCSE English examinations and attained in line with, or above, the expected government target for similar schools in Northern Ireland.