Founded in 1836, it is situated in the Kalighat area of Sylhet, on the bank of the Surma River.

Around 1830, during the rule of the British East India Company, Lord Bentick ordered the establishment of this school in order to make the people of the region speak English properly.

When Roy Saheb Durga Kumar Bose voluntarily retired in 1903, Baikunthanath Bhattacharya took charge as the headmaster of the school.

In 1962, Abdul Wahid Chowdhury took over as headmaster and improved the science lab and increased the number of teachers.

In 1971, Pakistani soldiers set fire to the school, destroying many important documents and burning books.