New Town Secondary School was founded on 2 January 1965, the same year Singapore gained its independence. It was the 68th Secondary School to be opened by the Singapore government. The School was set up to meet the needs of the residents staying in the Queenstown district, many of whom comprised school-going children who were about to embark on secondary education. It was tentatively known as Queensway’s Third Secondary School then.
On 7th January 1965, Mrs. Yeo Lai Cheng was appointed by the Ministry Of Education as the School’s first principal. A few months later, the School came to be officially known as New Town Secondary School.