In the 1956 riots, Chinese middle-school students who subscribed to the communist ideology staged sit-ins and demonstrations, disrupted classes, and in effect shut their schools down.

The function of the newly established Kallang West Government Chinese Middle School was to allow students who had no wish to be embroiled in communism to have a place to study.

It was renamed "Dunman High School" and began to offer both English and Chinese languages at the first-language level.

A 50th anniversary song, written by Kelvin Ang Chin Yuan, was played by Clara Ng Yi Wen and sung by the school.

[19] On 5 September 2017, Dunman High was featured in an episode of Channel 8's "When The Bell Rings" documentary series.

This eight episode documentary series featured eight Special Assistance Plan (SAP) Schools in Singapore, and told stories of their transformation through the times.

The meaning of its name in Chinese is derived from a line in the Book of Rites (大学之道，在明明德) which is a statement that has influenced the Emperors of the Han, Tang and Song dynasties in Imperial China.

It can be roughly translated as "the Dao (path) to the greatest learning lies in understanding the brightest virtues".

The blue colour signifies peace and dignity, while the circular border represents wholeness and unity, as well as the pursuit of universality, as defined in the Confucian classic Book of Rites.

The school-wide Integrated Programme offered enables students to bypass the Singapore-Cambridge GCE Ordinary Level examination that is taken in the Special/Express course.

A variety of academic programmes, hosted by both the school as well as the Ministry of Education, are offered to students with the potential to excel.

[citation needed] Special programmes offered in school are listed below: Dunman High School offers Co-curricular Activities (CCAs), including competitive sports, uniformed groups, musical groups and clubs and societies.

[30] The Uniformed Groups have a strong presence in Dunman High School, with Saint John Ambulance Brigade, Scouts, Girl Guides and National Police Cadet Corps achieving honours.