Ananda College  will celebrate its 125th anniversary this year. The school opened on 1st of November 1886 with 37 students in a private house at No. 61 Maliban Street, Pettah. Mr. C. W. Leadbeater was the first principal.

In August, 1889, the school moved to a more spacious location at No. 19 Prince Street. In 1895, it was relocated to Maradana and was named after Arahant Ananda, the most devoted disciple of the Lord Buddha.

At present the school has a student population exceeding 7,000 in all 13 grades of secondary education on a campus of more than 20 acres. The academic staff of more than 200 is led by Principal L.M.D. Dharmasena.