The City of Oxford High School for Boys was founded in 1881 by Thomas Hill Green to provide Oxford boys with an education which would enable them to prepare for University.

Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, 1st Baronet was one of the most distinguished British architects of his generation. He is best remembered for his work at Oxford, including the Oxford Military College at Cowley, the university's Examination Schools, most of Hertford College, much of Brasenose College, ranges at Trinity College and Somerville College, the City of Oxford High School for Boys, and the Acland Nursing Home.