Central Foundation Boys' School is a voluntary-aided comprehensive secondary school in the London Borough of Islington. It was founded at a meeting in 1865 and opened the following year in Bath Street, before moving to its current location on Cowper Street in 1869. Originally named The Middle Class School of London, it was renamed in 1890 after the establishment of its trust body, the Central Foundation Schools Trust. Its sister school is Central Foundation Girls' School in Tower Hamlets. Both schools are beneficiaries of the charity Central Foundation Schools of London, which in turn is a beneficiary of The Dulwich Estate, successor to the historic College of God's Gift charity.

The College of God's Gift, often referred to as the Old (Dulwich) College, was a historic charity founded in 1619 by the Elizabethan actor and businessman Edward Alleyn who endowed it with the ancient Manor of Dulwich in south London. In 1857 it was renamed as Alleyn's College of God's Gift. The charity was reorganised in 1882 and again in 1995, when its varied component activities were split up into separate registered charities. The former constituent elements of College of God's Gift, which have been independent charities since 1995, are:the Dulwich Estate, the successor charity which owns the remaining freehold land of the manor of Dulwich; Alleyn's School Dulwich College James Allen's Girls' School Dulwich Almshouse located in the Old College complex Christ's Chapel of God's Gift located in the Old College complex Dulwich Picture Gallery, which became independent and ceased to be a beneficiary in 1995