Our academy has a rich history; originally founded as Dudley Grammar School in 1562, over 400 years ago, when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne.

In 1975, the boys' grammar school was merged with Dudley Girls' High School to become a mixed comprehensive school.

Following another merger with The Bluecoat School, Castle High School was formed in 1989 and served the central Dudley area for more than 25 years.

In 2017, Castle High School joined Dudley Academies Trust and was re-branded as St James Academy in August 2018, a name chosen by learners at the school. Alongside Hillcrest, High Arcal and Holly Hall, the four schools were brought together under the sponsorship of Dudley College of Technology to form a new Multi Academy Trust.

Since joining Dudley Academies Trust, the school has seen many changes including the formation of a new SMART curriculum and a new behaviour system, 'Values Driven Expectations', which are both used across all four secondary schools. A new uniform includes free blazers and ties for all new learners to the academy.

Our estate is also continuously under improvement, including new heating and roofing. Technology plays a large part in our approach to teaching and learning and massive investment has come from the Trust on our computing equipment including refurbished computer rooms and suites of laptops located around the school to use in subject areas such as Engineering and Science.