The school was founded by Mother Marie Louise De Meester in 1953 under the direction of Archbishop Thomas Joseph Brosnahan.
The Christ the King College is regarded as one of the most influential schools in West Africa due to its tradition of hardworking teachers and student leadership.
[citation needed] CKC primarily serves Sierra Leone, but also has international students from Liberia, Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria.
Under the direction of Archbishop Thomas Joseph Brosnahan, Christ the King College was founded and built by Roman Catholic missionaries of the Holy Ghost Order led by Reverend Michael Corbett of Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland.
Because of the school's reputation, it became the favorite of Sierra Leone's most prominent families and it soon saw the children of paramount chiefs and politicians among its student body earning it the moniker "The Royal College of the South".