Its motto is "Good Conduct, Clever, Graceful, Diligent and Quick to Act" (Chinese: 厚德 博雅 笃学 敏行; lit.
[1][2] The predecessor of No.1 Middle School Affiliated to Central China Normal University was the Central-South Experimental Speed-up School for Workers and Peasants (中南实验工农速成中学), which was founded by famous educators Pan Zinian (潘梓年) and Zhao Juntao (赵君陶）in 1950.
In 1958 its name was changed to No.1 Middle School Affiliated to Central China Normal College, and it was later changed again to No.1 Middle School Affiliated to Central China Normal University in 1985.
The main campus moved to Donghu New Technology Development Zone in 2005.
In 2009, it ranked No.1 with a score of 76.4 (out of 100) in the "China High School Ranking According to Comprehensive Strength (全国高中综合实力排名前100强)"[3] By 2014, it had won 22 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 1 bronze medal in the international middle school students' Olympic competition (including the chemistry, physics, mathematics, informatics and biology olympiads).