More than one hundred and forty five years ago, early in the year 1856, Major General Sir Henry Lawrence first projected the idea of founding a School at some hill stations in the Madras Presidency for the children of the serving soldiers and ex-soldiers of the British Army in India so that they could have the benefit of a sound education. Thus The Lawrence Asylum was founded on 6th of September 1858, fourteen months and four days after the death of its far-seeing founder,Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence. Later The Lawrence Asylum had become The Lawrence Memorial Royal Military School(Lovedale). With the coming up of Independence the character of the School naturally changed. Government's liability gradually decreased as entitled children were eliminated and the school gradually became an independent institution open to all on a fee-paying basis.

The School fufilled the objectives of the founder until 1949 when it was taken over by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to be run as a Public School open to all castes, creeds and communities with 40% of the seats being reserved for the children of defence personnel. The administration of the School is now vested in an autonomous body known as the Board of Governors appointed by the Government of India. The Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Education is the Chairman of the Board. The Indian Union Colours was presented to the School on the 6th of September, 1949 by H.E. Maharaja of Bhavnagar. It now takes the place of the King's Colour. The School Colour is trooped every year on Founder's Day. The School stands in its own estate of about 700 acres and is situated at Lovedale, about 5 kilometres from Ootacamund. Lovedale Railway Station adjoins the School Campus. The School tries to achieve the total development of the child and equips him as best as possible to be a useful and valuable citizen of the country. The children are brought up in an atmosphere that fosters a spirit of co-existence and respect for the feelings and beliefs of others and a natural breaking down of communal and caste barriers. In fact The Lawrence School could almost be described as a miniature India for in the School are children of very many communities and from all parts of India.

Since 1975 the School has been registered under the Education and Charitable Societies Act 1860 with the Registrar of Societies, New Delhi and is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, New Delhi with + 2 courses in Science, Humanities and Commerce Streams.