Named the Road End Free School and established in 1889 by the Glory Presbyterian Church, the school was later renamed Pei Hwa Presbyterian Primary School. The church is the third oldest Chinese-speaking Presbyterian congregation in Singapore, formed in 1881 by Reverend JAB Cook. He was appointed by the Presbyterian Church of England to oversee missionary work among the Chinese in Singapore. His work with the Chinese at Bukit Timah eventually led to the founding of the Glory Presbyterian Church. Starting out as a small community school in a wooden structure located next to the church to serve the village children, the school expanded over the years. During WWII, the school was destroyed but was rebuilt after the war with the help of local residents. One endearing story about this school is that during the frequent Bukit Timah floods in the 1960s, teachers would carry their pupils in their arms one at a time so that they would not slip and fall into the waters.