The building that housed CLC was constructed in 1925. The building originally was Johnston Junior High School. When Johnston moved to Meyerland in September 1959, Miller Junior High School opened in Johnston's former location. CLC began in 1973 as the Continuous Progress Learning and Development Center, a high school program for students who did not perform well in traditional academic environments. It was a pilot project of the Emergency School Aid Act (ESAA). It originally used two rooms at Miller before several temporary buildings were moved to the school. The CLC high school stayed in the temporary buildings until 1976. When the high school vacated the temporary buildings, the CLC middle school moved into the temporary buildings. In 1980 the middle school moved to the third floor.