Founded by Queen Pertevniyal in 1872, the wife of Sultan Mahmud II (reign 1808 -1839) and the mother of Sultan Abdülaziz (reign 1861 - 1876), Pertevniyal High School has been standing as one of the most successful educational institutions of the country with its high-standard education and commended students since then.

With 750 mixed-gender students (GIRLS: 390, BOYS: 360) and around 60 teachers, Pertevniyal High School has a very strong academic record with a high proportion of its students proceeding to prominent universities in Turkey and worldwide.

The initial name of the school was Mahmudiye Mektebi (School). After the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye, the institution became a standard high school with its new name: Pertevniyal Lisesi (Pertevniyal High School) in 1930.

Due to the high-quality of its education, Pertevniyal High School was promoted to Anatolian High School in 1998. In 2021, the duration of education in the high school was increased to 5 years.

As a state school, admission to Pertevniyal High School is through the High School Transition System (LGS) exam. The LGS exam is organized by the Ministry of Education of Türkiye every year. Admission to Pertevniyal High School requires a tough competition, since only 150 students out of 1,200,000 applicants can make it through every year. The school is always among the first choices of top-ranked students.