From 1926 to 1956, the school's headmaster was GCT Giles, an Old Etonian and communist activist who was President of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) when the Education Act 1944 was introduced.

The year before, in 1965, the school's administration moved from Middlesex County Council to the London Borough of Ealing.

In the 1970s, the neighbouring Ealing Mead County school off Popes Lane, opened in 1962, was found to have serious structural problems in its building.

Previously a community school administered by Ealing London Borough Council, in September 2018 Acton High School converted to academy status and was renamed Ark Acton Academy.

[3] Due to funding and budget constraints, the sixth form is set to close in September 2026.