Land was purchased in Inanda, then a semi-rural area north of Johannesburg, and building commenced in 1940. St David's opened in 1941 as a private boarding school, and by 1953 the school had 475 pupils, 200 of them being boarders.
Inanda, a semi-rural area north of Johannesburg, was chosen as the site for St David's School. Construction began in 1940, and the school opened as a private boarding school in 1941. By 1953, it had grown to accommodate 475 students, with 200 residing on campus.