The school opened Sept. 11, 1905, with Founding Headmaster Dr. James Ross McCain teaching 24 boys in eight classes in the upstairs room above the Rome Fire Department station in East Rome.

In December 1916, the current site of Darlington School, the 500-acre DeSoto Park was purchased by John Paul Cooper.

A student had reported sexually inappropriate behavior by a teacher who served as a dorm master in the 1980s.

The student claims the inappropriate behavior was reported to the school administration and nothing was done at the time.

[7] Twenty male students settled a lawsuit with the teacher in 2021, clearing the way to seek a settlement with the school's insurance company.