 This school was named after Reginald Harold King (February 16, 1896 - December 4, 1962), a Canadian educator and classicist.It was the first secondary school built in the former township of Scarborough and second-oldest surviving institution in Scarborough, after Agincourt Collegiate Institute.The R. H. King school motto is "Per Ardua Sapientia" which translates into "Through the hard task of wisdom".