Grantley College was founded in 1964 by Mr. Grant Levay who realised the need for a school that offered specialised education for high school students with learning difficulties.

The school has always been situated in Parktown, an old well-established suburb in Johannesburg. It was initially situated at Emleigh, 24 Junction Avenue, which was an important late-Victorian mansion built by architect Frank Emley in the late 1890s - one of the first residential plots te be developed in the area. It was demolished in the late 1980s.The school moved to its present location in 1990 when the then Transvaal Department of Education transferred the National School of Arts building by deed of donation to Grantley College, thus enabling the College for the first time to have a permanent educational facility.

Grantley College has a proud heritage and fine reputation of service to a community of families who desire to give their children a second chance at success. It is an independent, co-educational, non-profit school which offers mainstream education to children who have one or more learning disabilities, and are experiencing a gap between their potential and actual achievement.