The school was named after John Macarthur, a pioneer of the Australian wool industry.

The School Students Representative Council celebrated the event by renovating the rose garden.

In October 2018 a surprise visit to the school was made by the UK's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.

[2] The school is located on an area of land first granted to William Reid (a seaman-convict from the Sirius, the first ship of the First Fleet to enter Sydney Harbour in 1788).

The property changed hands several times before it was acquired by the Education Department and the present school was built in 1934.