SMK Clifford Kuala Kangsar originates from a Malay school established in December 1897. In 1897, the “Government English School” also known as “Hogan School” appeared after its first headmaster, Encik James Percival Charles Hogan. The students of this school started with a total enrollment of 40 students in the first year of its establishment and became 494 students in 1928. Until 1905, this school recorded the record of being the first mixed school in Perak to have female students. In terms of teaching staff, starting in 1905, this school only had one head teacher and four teachers for 158 students. In the following years, the teaching staff consisted of Europeans, Indians, Chinese and Malays. Only in 1924, this school had a head teacher of Arab descent, namely Tuan Syed Shaidali.