It was rebuilt in 1947 by Sir Robin Wainright on a Harambee basis.

Being an extra-county school, the majority of the students are from Embu County and the neighbouring counties which together with Embu were part of the former Eastern province The school offers an 8-4-4 curriculum whereby students sit for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exam at the end of a four-year programme.

Subjects offered at Kangaru School range from Mathematics, Kiswahili, Christian and Islamic Religious Education, Geography, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, History and Government, Home Science, Computer Studies, French, English to Business Studies.

[2] Kangaru later became a co-educational school, after which in 1989 it was split into separate institutions for boys and girls.

The students live in 9 houses referred to as houses, named Mwea, Embu, Gichugu, Ndia, Gachoka, Mbeere, Hollywood, Mt.Kenya and Runyenjes.