Jamaica College was founded in 1789 as the Drax Free School in the parish of St Ann by Charles Drax, a planter of that parish.

Drax came to Jamaica from Barbados in 1721 and left money in his will to establish a charity school in St Ann. There were some delays and legal proceedings before the money was handed over to the St Ann Vestry.

In 1806, Walton Pen was bought for the site of the school and a year later, another act of legislature gave the school the name, The Jamaica Free School.

In 1879, during the governorship of Sir Anthony Musgrave, provision was made by law for the Jamaica Free School under a new name, The Jamaica High School, to come under the control of the Jamaica School Commission. The school now had a new headmaster, Reverend (later Archdeacon) William Simms. This law also authorised the removal of the school from Walton Pen in St Ann in 1883, and classes were conducted in the Barbican Great House until 1885.

In September 1890, a college, then known as University College, was opened in connection with the school. In 1902, roughly a century after the endowment of the Drax Free School, the Jamaica High School and the University College were amalgamated under the name Jamaica College. This made Jamaica College (JC) the first university college of Jamaica, long before the founding of the University of the West Indies in the mid 20th century.

The buildings on Old Hope Road were opened on July 9, 1885, and the first classes there took place in September of the same year.

By the 1930s, with an expanded student population, JC was actually functioning as an established high school. This role was formalised in 1957 with the introduction of the Common Entrance system and the democratisation of the Jamaican secondary education system.

From 1902 to 1967, Jamaica College functioned as a boarding institution. Today, as a day school, it boasts students from a wide cross section of the society. Over the years, it has nurtured a rich tradition in athletic and academic fields. Its old boys continue to play important roles in the religious, political, business and professional services of the country. The school’s rich history continues to be written by present students, who respond to its motto, Fervet Opus in Campis (May the College Flourish, Work is Burning in the Fields).