St. Augustine's College was founded by Fr. Gaetano Pace Forno who was the Provincial and also the first Rector of the School. Eventually, he became Bishop of Malta. The School opened its doors to the first students on Monday the 23rd. of October 1848 in Valletta, in a large section adjoining the Church of St. Augustine. The School was at first run by Augustinian friars and was the first non-fee paying private educational in situation in our Islands. It attracted students mostly from the Grand Harbour area and was supported by the Governor of Malta at that time, Richard More O'Ferrall. The School adapted the Par Passu system as a system of Education and there are records in local newspapers of the time that the school was a very popular and successful one. The School had to temporarily close down in January 1941 due to World War II. In fact it received a direct hit in May 1941. The School reopened its doors on its 100th anniversary in 1948 and was eventually transferred to new premises in Tarxien in October 1954 as a College. It had several important amenities but soon it was time to expand even more. On the 16th April 1966, the College was transferred to its present site in Pieta'.