In the 1950s, a few hundred rural children who had completed their Malay primary level education, and their placement in a few selected schools in Ipoh, Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lipis, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru were chosen to be the pioneer students of the first three Malay residential secondary schools for rural children.

[4] On 2 January 1957, 360 of these 13–15-year-old children were placed in five old wooden military barracks vacated by the Malay Regiments, at what was then known as Baeza Avenue, Ashby Road, Ipoh (the site where Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Kinta, Jalan Hospital, Ipoh, now stands).

Classes were conducted following the standard curriculum offered in the English medium secondary schools of the day.

[14] On 6 January 1958, the school moved to its present site along Tiger Lane, Ipoh (now Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah).

[15] On 14 May 1958, the official opening and renaming of the school by the first Prime Minister of Federation Of Malaya, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj.

[18] On 23 September 1958, royal Visit by His Majesty Yang Di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

In November 1961, STAR's first batch of candidates (155) sat for the combined Cambridge Overseas School Certificate/Federation of Malaya Certificate examinations.

In November 1963, STAR's first batch of Upper Six Classes (Arts and Science) sat for the Overseas Higher School Certificate examination.