In 1975, Percy L. Julian High School emerged as a result of the community's desire to relieve the overcrowding of area high schools. School officials originally referred to Julian as the 103rd and Dan Ryan Site High School. Julian's founding principal, Dr. Edward H. Oliver, changed the school's name to honor the renowned scientist, Percy Lavon Julian, who died in April of 1975.

Dr. Oliver and his administrative team created a philosophy and related objectives that reflected aspirations of high ideals. They assembled a culturally diverse and highly educated staff to teach students, train them to become critical thinkers and encourage them to contribute greatly to society. The involvement of parents and community leaders were also essential to the administration's vision of making Julian High School an exceptional college preparatory institution.

At the core of Julian's founding philosophy are the components of the school seal that consists of an outer circle, inner circle and a pyramid. The outer and inner circles represent the belief that education is a continuous process throughout the life of every individual. The pyramid, resting on a square. symbolizes perfect universal order.

The words "Heart", "Head" and "Hand", represent the goals of developing the social, academic and vocational skills of students through a highly specialized school curriculum. Further, the human heart stresses integrity of character; the head with a torch stresses the acquisition of knowledge; and the hand holding a paint brush, a T-square and a test tube depicts the aesthetic, vocational and scientific skills needed for technological advances. Finally, the chemical formula in the center of the pyramid represents Dr. Julian's overwhelming success in science. The formula is for the Cortisone S Compound, one of Dr. Julian's many discoveries.

In keeping with Dr. Julian's tradition of academic excellence, Julian students were encouraged to succeed and bond within the "House" concept. Each house, Alpha, Beta and Gamma, consisted of an assistant principal and counselors. To foster school spirit within the houses and throughout the entire school, a Jaguar was chosen as the school mascot, along with orange and brown as the school colors. Over the years, the "House" concept has been modified; however, students continue to be nurtured and encouraged to do their best. Julian students have won a bevy of academic competitions and honors, as well as athletic prominence since 1975.

Some 16 years later, Dr. Oliver retired. Changes in administration and staff only strengthened the common goal of molding lives for the future. Presently, every student must choose a particular area of study, referred to as a "pathway". The instruction they receive successfully prepares them for college or a vocational career.

The communities surrounding Julian High School continue to be supportive of our goals. Mount Vernon, Washington Heights, West Pullman, Morgan Park and portions of Roseland border Julian, now located in Region 6 under the current supervision of Sheyre Garmony-Miller. For nearly three decades, Julian has maintained an excellent rapport with feeder schools, Mount Vernon, Garvey, Dunne, Fernwood, Gompers and Hughes. An active Local School Council and good relationships with area businesses and churches are accomplishments that should give every Julianite a sense of pride.

Julianites may also take pride in many new programs and activities implemented in recent years. A new counseling suite is housed in what was formerly the Electronics Laboratory. What was formerly the Cosmetology Wing has become the Chicago Board of Education's Sports Administration (under the direction of former staff member and Coach J. W. Smith). A newly constructed weight room, featuring exercise equipment, is adjacent to the physical education building.

In June of 2000, Percy L. Julian High School established a presence on the World Wide Web with the launching of the school's official website on the Internet. The pages and links provide the community, alumni, staff and students current and continuous information about the school's policies, admistration and staff, programs, sports, upcoming events and other school related activities.

The Medical Academy will expose and prepare students for careers in pharmacology and health information technology. The Alpha House Commons Area has been divided into a state-of-the-art, science laboratory and an English classroom. The business department has a new Desktop Publishing Lab that is connected to the Internet. The entire school has been wired for wireless Internet to be used with laptop computers.

Construction of a new Foods Lab will begin soon and will include a Culinary Arts Café. The Food Lab has been renamed after former teacher, Eloise Johnson, and the auditorium has been renamed the Dr. Edward H. Oliver Auditorium. The Fine Arts Department expanded and a new wing is dedicated for the World Language Department.