In 1919, a Board of Trustees was appointed to establish a high school in the southern portion of the Township of Scarborough. 3 hectares were purchased from the Pherrill Estate for $14,000 and on June 29, 1922, the cornerstone was laid for the new building. The school was not ready until November, but classes began September 6 in Birch Cliff Congregational Church, with classics specialist Reginald H. King as principal, three other teachers and 116 students. In January, 1930, the school became a Collegiate Institute. Over the years, the growing population necessitated many additions and improvements to the original building. When a Board of Education serving all of Scarborough was set up in 1954 with Dr. King as director, the school was re-named "R.H. King Collegiate Institute". No longer adequate to serve the needs of modern education, the older sections, with the exception of this entrance arch, were demolished in 1976.