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William Capon left money in his will to establish a grammar school for the poor scholars of Southampton. The King signed the necessary charter in 1553 and the school opened in 1554 in Winkle Street.
In 1696 the school moved to the prestigious Marlands House in Havelock Street and numbers increased to over 100.
The next move to the prestigious Marlands House in Havelock Road saw pupil numbers increase to over 100.
The House system was born in 1921 and remains to this day. The six Houses are named after our founder; Capon, and five notable Old Edwardians; Reynolds, Sylvester, Lake, Watts and Lawrence.
As the school community continued to expand, purpose built buildings were built on the Hill Lane site and opened in the summer of 1938.
At the outbreak of war in 1939, the whole school community was evacuated to Poole Grammar School and the site at Hill Lane was occupied by the British Army.
In 1978, the school's future was threatened by the Labour Government's 1976 Education Act forbidding selection by academic ability within the state sector. In order to avoid diluting the academic excellence of the school, King Edward's was forced to become independent or close.
In 1983, having been a boys' school for 430 years, King Edward's welcomed girls into its Sixth Form.
In 1994, the School became fully co-educational when 45 girls joined 86 boys in the First Year intake.
In 2004, the School acquired Wellington Sports Ground along Stoneham Lane - a 33-acre site with outdoor facilities for cricket, netball, hockey and rugby, as well as a purpose-built sports pavilion.
In 2011, King Edward's purchased Stroud School, Romsey creating a 3-18 educational experience with the addition of its own preparatory school.
