It was founded in 1938 as Preston Manor County Grammar School and its first headteacher was Mr W.P.

It provided a traditional grammar school curriculum with science and languages streams.

Preston Manor was amongst the first cohort of schools nationally to become a specialist Science College in 2002 with Mathematics as an additional specialism.

As of September 2008 Preston Manor began admitting forty more students into its cohort.

Work began in January 2008 on a £4.5 million project which will see a new teaching block and a 4 court sports hall built, amongst other new facilities.