Chung Ling was founded as a Primary School on February 9th 1917. It was moved several times before settling in its current location at Kampung Baru Air Itam. In 1923, in addition to its Primary classes, Lower Secondary classes were formed, allowing primary school students to continue their study in the school. Two years after moving into the Air Itam premises, Higher Secondary classes were established, allowing Chung Ling to become both a Primary and Secondary School.

Barely 3 years after moving in, the school was yet again moved elsewhere as the Air Itam premises were used as a military hospital by the British. During the war, many of the teachers and students were brutally murdered and execeuted by the invading Japanese as they refused to comply to the demand that desist learning of Chinese and instead take up Japanese. Today, a plague lies in the hall entrance to commemorate those who gave up their lives for their mother tongue.

After the war, another incident was to rock the school. On February 4th, 1952 Principal David Chen was assasinated on his way to a meeting of Chinese Teachers. It is still unclear as to today why he was assasinated, although the main theory was that he was killed by the communists who were displeased with his anti-communist stand in education.

In 1953, the school hostels were completed and Chung Ling received students from as far north as Thailand and as far south as Johore. In 1955, Chung Ling Primary School was closed down, and Chung Ling became a Secondary School known as Chung Ling High School.

In 1956, at the behest of the Malayan Goverment, the school, under the leadership of Principal Wang Yoong Nien, decided to convert the school into a National Type School, with the goverment supplying on teachers and the school supplying everything else. This would cause a domino effect in the Chinese community and many other prominent chinese schools followed suit.

In 1961, Chung Ling High School (Private) was formed to take in those students who wished to receive their education totally in their mother tongue or those that had failed the Form 3 exam1967 Chung Ling opened 6th Form s and could not proceed onto Form 4 in Chung Ling High School National Type.

In Classes, which were co-ed, compared with the rest of the school which remained male only.

In 1986, Chung Ling High School Butterworth Branch was opened. It was later renamed Chung Ling Butterworth High School to reflect its independent identity. Together with the Private School ,the Three Chung Lings became known as Tri-Chung Ling High Schools which shared a Board of Governors but are essentially three independant schools