1917
Nanyang Girls’ School
A shophouse, unit number 7, at ‘Sanjiaopu’ (三角埔) (today’s Dhoby Ghaut, on the right side of Cathay Theatre), was rented for the school compound. Lessons in this campus began on 15 August with a cohort of about 100 students. Mdm Yu Pei Gao was the first principal. In the same year, Mr Tan Chor Lam was elected first Chairman of the Board of Directors.
1919
No 7 Dhoby Ghaut became too small for the increasing enrolment. The school then moved to a double storey private bungalow perched on Sophia Hill (now known as Mount Sophia) overlooking Orchard Road. There were many rooms in the bungalow which the school used as classrooms.
1927
Mr Lee Chin Tian became the Chairman of the Board of Directors. In the same year, he hired Mdm Liew Yuen Sien as Principal. In order to realise the school’s aim of providing girls with an equal opportunity for education across South East Asia and China, Mdm Liew tried her best to provide them with funding to continue with their schooling.
1930
Nanyang Girls' School was renamed "Nanyang Girls' High School". In November, with $17,000 raised, a plot of land at King’s Road in the Bukit Timah area was purchased. It had a two-storey building sitting on land area of 6 acres. Nanyang Girls’ High School moved into the campus during the holidays.
1945
During WWII, the Nanyang campus was used by the Japanese soldiers as a military hospital. When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, British soldiers returned to Singapore. On 1 December 1945, the British military government gave the school permission to occupy the former Japanese Association premises, which later became the office of Chinese Christian Youth Association, at Selegie Road.
1947
In January 1947, the British army informed Nanyang that the Selegie Road premises were to be used for other purposes and asked that the school move back to the King's Road campus. In 1948, the Board of Directors bought the land on a hill behind the King’s Road campus for $10,000 and built 4 classrooms to serve as the primary school section.
1946-1966
As the school continued to grow, a new Administration Block, a Hall Block and Science Blocks were added.