1847–1854: Origins Karachi Grammar School was founded as the Anglo-Indian School in 1847. It remained the only non-native school in the town until St Patrick's High School, Karachi, was founded in 1861, followed by
St Joseph's Convent School, Karachi, in 1862, and Manora School in 1866. Reverend Henry Brereton, the First Chaplain of Karachi, established the school and provided the early accommodation for the school at his private residence, with the first classes taking place in his kitchen. The class formed by the chaplain was at first small enough to be accommodated in these modest premises; however, the smooth running of this school over the next seven years was disturbed by rumours of Brereton not being a "good master" and his performance as a manager being unsatisfactory. Looking into this matter, on 27 July 1854, the Commissioner of Sindh,
Sir Bartle Frere, summoned a public meeting with a view to establishing an institution that provided 'good secular instruction to children of all sects'. In this meeting, funds were collected through subscriptions to establish a school, a managing committee was appointed and rules were framed that later became the basis for the present Constitution of KGS. It was the newly appointed, managing committee that decided to purchase the Mess House of Her Majesty's 64th Regiment at No. 24 Depot Lines, which is at the site of the present day Middle School. The reorganized school was formally opened on 1 November 1854 as "The Kurrachee European and Indo-European School".
1854–1914: Early years The school continued on its regular course with a small student body of around 40 children. In 1874, Reverend G. B. Streeton, then Chaplain of Karachi and Honorary Secretary of the school, suggested a plan that included expanding the school premises and securing a title deed for the land the school was to occupy, which could only be completed by August 1890 due to complications regarding the government's rights to the resumption of cantonment land. Streeton raised ₨ 4,918, which enabled his plan to go ahead. Captain Thomas F. Dowden of the Royal Bombay Engineers was commissioned to make the architectural drawings for the new building. The new school building was opened for boarders on 27 February 1875 by
Sir William Merewether, Commissioner-in-Sind at that time. The role of children was 75 in 1875 and 90 children in 1876 with six teachers, implying a pupil-teacher ratio of 15:1. During the following years, the school flourished. It was endowed with a library in memory of a local doctor. In 1879, the school was renamed from "The Kurrachee European and Indo-European School" to "Karachi Grammar School". In 1901, the school went through a difficult time after the headmaster, Mr. Taylor, was forced into resignation by the school's managing committee; the number of students decreased considerably over the course of the following year. Taylor opened his own school named "Taylor High School". In 1902, Taylor returned along with the pupils from his private school. During the next three years, the school improved academically; however, it struggled financially, barely affording the employees. In 1910 the school received a grant of Rs. 2000, which continued over the next thirty years and rescued it from financial crisis. In 1912, Bernard Tobin was the first pupil to take and pass the Cambridge School Certificate Examination. Additionally, this year marked the first scouts enrolled in the school. Towards the end of 1914, construction began on the third story of the school, and students were temporarily taught in a building on Merewether Road, which was given free of charge. The total count of students had reached 151. == Academics and curriculum ==