The founding of St. Helen's School (as Dunham Ladies' College), by the Reverend Ashton Oxenden, Bishop of the Diocese of Montreal of the Church of England, dates to 1875, though it did not open its doors until 1878. Administered by a corporation composed of clergymen and lay people, Dunham Ladies' College encountered many financial problems and had to close from 1885 to 1888 and from 1890 to 1894. In 1913, with the College still facing financial difficulties, the Corporation leased it to the then principal, Miss Wade, at her request. Now under the management of a board of governors, Dunham Ladies' College was renamed St. Helen's School. In 1972, St. Helen's School was closed down after almost a century of existence.