Planning for the school began at the 1987 conference of the members of SIL in Yaoundé, Cameroon. The mission of SIL in Cameroon requires a long-term commitment which often keeps families o­n on the field for many years. In 1987 SIL members determined to establish an international secondary school by September 1991, in order to balance their God-given responsibilities to their children and to their linguistic and Bible translation ministry in Cameroon. Since 1991, Rain Forest International school has grown from less than twenty to over one hundred students.

In August 2001 the Evangelical Covenant and the Evangelical Free Church Missions together joined with SIL as a partner in operating and developing the school.  In 2001 the school expanded at that time to include grades seven and eight. Six mission organizations now partner with SIL to govern and develop the school. They are Evangelical Free Church, Evangelical Covenant Church, North American Baptists, Baptist General Conference, and World Team.