Belair School was established in 1967 to provide an American based programme of study for the children of the bauxite workers in Mandeville. It had earlier beginnings however, under the name of Manchester Preparatory School. In the 1950’s when Alcan established its plant at Kirkvine many of the company’s employees took up residence in and near Mandeville creating a strain on the existing educational institutions. To remedy this situation, Alcan donated funds and helped with the expansion of the existing Manchester Preparatory School. These new buildings were constructed on Manchester Trust land near to the Manchester High School.
The school was again later expanded, as a result of funding assistance from Alpart, in the 1960’s. Alpart accepted all responsibility for the salary and compensation of a headmaster recruited from the United States. The recruitment was referred to the International School Services (ISS) in 1967.
Seeing the increased need for a permanent location, the Secondary School was built by Alpart at its current site on 43 DeCarteret Road, and started its operations in 1967 with an enrolment of approximately 70 students. Despite the move however, the planned high school portion was still under construction and thus could only accommodate High School students. In 1998, the auditorium was built and the school further expanded and the early childhood was moved from the Manchester High School Campus to the main school at 43 DeCarteret Road. Major infrastructural improvements continued fuelling a renewed interest in the school by the alumni.
The population grew and Belair High School was now regarded as one of the premiere educational institution in Mandeville. Belair High school is a grant-aided co-education non-denominational secondary day school. The institution is located in the hills of Mandeville, Jamaica and is well known for its relatively small population including culturally diverse students from all over the world. Belair is an institution that has facilitated the achievements of all students in numerous awards in sports and academics and will continue to do so.