Tonga High School was established in 1947 by Prince Tungi as the Minister of Education prior to his accession as King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

The aim of the school is to provide an opportunity for students to achieve a level of education equivalent to that offered in neighbouring countries such as New Zealand and Australia.

[2] A planned second phase of construction was due to begin in 2009 with the building of a gymnasium, swimming pool and a sports stadium.

Entry to Form 1 is restricted to those achieving the highest marks in national examinations taken by pupils in their last year of primary school.

[3] Students can be members of four houses: Nua (Yellow), Kava (Red), Sangone (Blue) and Tele'a (Green).