In 1838, missionaries arrived in Akuressa, Godapitiya. In 1839, they built a small shrine on a plot of land called Godalanda, near the Godapitiya Rajamaha Viharaya, to propagate their religion.

By 1840, a school was established in connection with this shrine, providing education exclusively for boys. In 1850, a school for girls was started on a plot called Palliyahena, located on the present-day Kauropitiya Road, alongside a charming small shrine. (Reference: “A History of the Methodist Church in Ceylon 1814–1964”)

Through the intervention of Henry Steel Olcott and Anagarika Dharmapala, the Methodist schools were closed, and Buddhist schools were established. Between 1880–1890, the Parama Vijnanarth Society started 40 new Buddhist schools, which gradually increased the number of Buddhist students as fewer Buddhist children attended missionary schools.

From 1909–1914, as Buddhists established more Buddhist schools, many missionary schools were closed.

In 1921, the government merged the aforementioned Methodist and Buddhist schools into a mixed school, established on the Boraluketiya Hena land in Thibbopotuwa. This mixed school was inaugurated on 27 September 1921, with D.J.J. Ranathunga as the principal. On 5 October 1921, the mixed school was separated into boys’ and girls’ schools, with the Buddhist school continuing as such.

During this period, under the educational reform proposals of Mr. C.W.W. Kannangara, it was planned to establish Godapitiya Junior School on the Thibbopotuwa premises. To form this new school, all students in Grades 6, 7, and 8 from the existing boys’ and girls’ schools were admitted. According to school records, Godapitiya Junior School officially started on 2 September 1946, with K.D. Jayasumana appointed as the first principal. Initially, there were 5 teachers and 48 students, and by 19 January 1955, the staff had grown to 8 teachers and 208 students.

For the second batch of the Junior School, a special exam was held for students from nearby schools to select skilled students for Grade 6.

The first principal, K.D. Jayasumana, served from 2 September 1946 to 31 December 1956, after which M.U.D. Silva took over, becoming the first graduate teacher in the school. During his tenure, the first house system was introduced, with three houses named Gamini, Tissa, and Perakum, and the school color was set as green. In 1954, the Sinhala-medium school started, and by 1955, classes up to the Senior School Certificate (SSC) were in place.

On 5 January 1957, the new building of the Godapitiya Boys’ School was inaugurated by the then Minister of Education, Vijayananda Dahanayake, who announced that all three schools would eventually be unified into a High School—the first official declaration of Godapitiya Maha Vidyalaya.

Following this, on 6 May 1957, the Junior, Boys’, and Girls’ schools were merged into two mixed schools, covering Primary and Upper Primary levels. M.U. Silva was appointed as the first principal of the senior school. Shortly afterward, the senior school was officially named Mara / Godapitiya Maha Vidyalaya in 1959.

As the school progressed, the arrival of more qualified and trained teachers led to an increase in student numbers. Due to limited facilities, the school was relocated on 1 February 1960 to a new building on Amalagoda land. The 6-acre land for the new school was donated by Mr. S.M.P. De Silva, owner of the Galaboda estate. The principal, M.U. Silva, and the teaching staff actively worked on this project, with Dr. S.A. Wikramasinghe, the local Member of Parliament, providing significant support.

The first science laboratory was opened on 7 May 1961. By 9 October 1968, the school had 34 teachers and 809 students, achieving 15/16 passes in the Senior School Certificate (SSC) examinations.

Dr. S.A. Wikramasinghe envisioned that this school should not only serve local students but attract pupils from across the district. A competitive admission system was implemented from the start. Academic and co-curricular excellence, along with high performance in O/L and A/L exams, led to the school being upgraded to a Central College on 16 July 1993.

Over the years, the school achieved remarkable educational development and high academic performance in both Ordinary and Advanced Levels. Its achievements in curricular and co-curricular activities gained nationwide recognition, making it a leading national school.

As a result, on 1 August 2006, the school was officially designated a National School. Credit is due to the principals, teachers, and students who contributed to this achievement, particularly the then principal C. Karunaratne, and the district MPs Mangala Samarawira and Jinadasa Kitulagoda.

Currently, the school has modern electricity and telephone facilities, and in 2004, a drinking water project was implemented. Under the Asian Development Project, a Computer Resource Center (CRC) operates, and the World Bank-supported ICT unit is functional, enhancing technology and computer education.