Rev Henry Noyes, the school founder, was a minister of the U.S. Presbyterian Church. In 1879 he founded a beginners' school called An Hwoh School in Saki,
Guangzhou, offering Mathematics and Science. With a lot of hard work, Pui Ying emerged and bloomed. A chain of schools was established in Guangzhou,
Taishan,
Jiangmen and Hong Kong. In 1978, to celebrate the centennial, the Board of Directors established the 5th school; an Anglo-Chinese School named Shatin Pui Ying College, with
Wong Wai Wah as the Principal. In the first year, the school operated on the campus of
Baptist Lui Ming Choi Secondary School at Lek Yuen Estate. In September 1979, the school could at last move into the 10-classroom premises in
Wo Che Estate. The school
library was opened in September 1982. In order to enable the promotion of all Form 3 students to Form 4 in the school, the school altered the class structure to a symmetrical one. The
Student Union was set up in September 1995 and
Parent-Teacher Association in 1996. The new wing building of the school has been in use since July 2005. In the new wing, there are classrooms for higher form classes, a new library, and some special rooms. On 9 September 2019, the human chain activity in the
2019–20 Hong Kong protests was launched. Students and alumni of various secondary schools in Hong Kong initiated the chain action to express their determination to fight for the
five demands. The students of this school participated. The activity starts at about 7 o'clock in the morning and ends at about 8 o'clock. Among the 18 districts in Hong Kong, apart from the island district, the remaining 17 districts have middle school students and alumni involved in this operation. Exchange students from
Italy,
Brazil, and
Germany help to enhance students' English ability. To enhance students’ interest and ability in English, the school offers Script-writing Course, English Tutorial Class, English Drama Competition, Form 1 Bridging Programme, Lyrics-writing Course, English Immersion Speech Competition, Tourist Interview, English Phonetics Class, English Enhancement Course, Summer English Class, Overseas Immersion Course, Summer English Camp for senior form students, Summer English Day Camp for junior form students, and English Musicals. English musicals: • 1999–2001 The Comeback Kid • 2001–2003 Soul for Sale • 2003–2005 The Last Move • 2005–2007 The Lost Face • 2007–2009 Heart in Arms • 2009–2011 Project Messiah • 2011–2013 The Twelfth Night • 2013–2015 The Merchant of Venice • 2015–2017 Flowers for Algernon • 2017–2019 Twinkle of the Aye • 2019–2022 Cyrano de Bergerac • 2022—2024 Atune ==School life==