Cowley International College

A former part of the school was on Cowley Hill Lane. There were two grammar schools, the Cowley Girls' Secondary Grammar School (also known as the Cowley Girls' School) with around 650 girls, and Cowley Boys' Secondary Grammar School (also known as Cowley School) with around 550 boys. In 1965, the St Helens Education Committee council introduced proposals for comprehensive education.

The changing rooms at the boys' school, and the gym at the girls' school were used as locations for the film Chariots of Fire (1981).

In 2011, Cowley Language College featured extensively in the low-budget feature film, "Broken Spirits" which was entirely produced on location in St Helens, by media staff and students from the Sixth Form. Written by Film Studies teacher Geoff Harrison and co directed by students Angus Leith and John Quigley, Broken Spirits received its world premiere in January 2012 at Cineworld, St. Helens.

The comprehensive plans took effect in September 1970 with each school becoming a 13-18 single sex comprehensive school - the Cowley Boys' School and Cowley Girls' School which soon became 11-18 schools in 1974 with around 700 at each school. For a short time from 1976–78, these schools were the Cowley High School for Boys and the Cowley High School for Girls. By 1978 it had become the Cowley High School with around 1,400 boys and girls.

In 2001, it gained Language College specialist status and changed its name. In the summer of 2010 the school changed its name once again to Cowley International College.

• Ralph William Bardill RCA (1876-1935), watercolour artist, exhibitor at the Royal Academy[2]
• Professor Ernest Brown (1878-1949), Emeritus Professor of Applied Mechanics and Hydraulics at McGill University[2]
• Sir Hugh Stott Taylor KBE FRS (1890-1974), Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University[2]
• Walter H. Longton DFC (Two Bars) AFC (1892-1927), First World War flying ace[3]
• Herbert Holt (1894-1978), portrait painter[2]
• George Groves (1901-1976), sound engineer, important in the early use of sound in films - he recorded the sound of The Jazz Singer, and later won three Academy Awards
• Winifred Frost (1902-1979), freshwater biologist[4]
• Sir Harold Macdonald Steward (1904-1977), consulting engineer and Conservative Party politician
• Arthur Coulton Hartley CIE OBE (1906-1994), senior civil servant in India[2]
• John Else MBE TD (1911-1996), Regional Chairman of Industrial Tribunals, Eastern Region (1980–84)[2]
• Jack Heaton (1912–1998), England rugby international and captain
• Robert Dorning (1913-1989), actor, musician
• Roger Johnson Fenney CBE (1916-2016). Chairman of the Special Trustees at Charing Cross Hospital (1980–88)[5]
• James Leicester (1915-1996), Director from 1961-71 of the Northern Polytechnic (now part of the University of North London)[2]
• Gerry Pickavance CBE FRS (1915-1991), Director from 1957-69 of the Rutherford High Energy Lab and expert on particle accelerators[2]
• Leslie Shield TD DL (1916-2008), Recorder of the Crown Court (1980–91) and Deputy Lieutenant for Merseyside[2]
• Norman Cook CBE (1920-1995), Editor from 1978-79 of the Liverpool Daily Post & Echo[2]
• Norman Rigby (1920-1996), Chairman from 1964-68 of Nabisco Ltd.[2]
• Professor Theo Barker (1923-2001), Professor of Economic History from 1976-83 at the LSE, and of Economic and Social History from 1964-76 at the University of Kent[2]
• Max Eden (born 1923), artist[6][7]
• Professor John Harris (1923-1997), Professor of Economic History at Birmingham University[8]
• Geoff Duke OBE (1923-2015), racing motorcyclist during the 1950s
• Dr T. W. Merrick (1924–86), Senior Medical Officer at the Department of Health and Social Security[9]
• Timothy Coatsworth (born 1960), Graduate University of Swansea, University of Manchester. Nephew of Jimmy Honey, St Helens R.F.C. player
• Milton Grundy (born 1926), barrister and author on international taxation[5][10]
• Andrew Thomas Wilson CMG (1926-2011), agriculturalist and natural resource adviser to the Rockefeller Foundation (1987–98)[2]
• William Sephton Hill MA (Cantab) (1926-1993), Development Director of the International Duty Free Confederation in Brussels[2]
• James Geoffrey Ashcroft CB (1928-2000), Deputy Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence (1985–88)[2]
• Henry Savage FRCP (1928-2012), consultant physician[11]
• Rear-Admiral Frank Bowen (1930-1995), Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy (1982–84)[2]
• Alan Ashcroft (born 1930) England and British and Irish Lions Rugby Union player (no 8 forward position)
• Alan Royle Atherton CB (born 1931), senior civil servant and company director[5]
• Dr Kenneth Moses CBE (1931-1992), former Joint Deputy Chairman of the British Coal Board[2][12]
• Edmund Stephen Garnett FRCP (1933-1994), pioneer in nuclear medicine[13]
• Garth Barton Robinson (1934-1999), biochemist. Lecturer at Birmingham University (1964–65) and the Department of Biochemistry, Oxford University (1965–96). Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford (1969–96)[14]
• Ray French MBE (born 1939), played rugby for England in both Rugby League and Rugby Union. At RL club level for both St Helens and Widnes. BBC rugby league commentator
• Margaret Chapman (1940-2000), artist and illustrator, from the Northern School. Exhibitor at the Royal Academy[2]
• John Robinson (born 1943), notable town planner
• Geoff Pimblett (born 1944), played for St Helens R.F.C. between 1971 and 1979 and played rugby league for England in 1978
• His Honour Judge Leslie David Hull (born 1950), a Circuit Judge since 2001[5]
• John Horton (born 1951), played rugby union for St Helens, Sale, Bath, Bristol and fly-half for England between 1978 and 1984
• Dame Judith Kilpatrick (1952-2002), headteacher[2]
• Professor Lorraine Culley (born 1952), Emeritus Professor of Social Science and Health at De Montfort University [15]
• Kathryn Tunstall (born 1953), Strategic Director for Services to Children and Young People, Bradford Metropolitan District Council (2007–13)[5]
• Squadron leader Jeffrey William Glover (born 1954), recipient of the Queen's Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air, captured by the Argentinians at the Skirmish at Many Branch Point[16][17]
• Professor John Fairclough (born 1954), esteemed knee surgeon and Professor of Sports Medicine at Cardiff Metropolitan University[18][19]
• Andrew Wilson (born 1959), gardening author and landscape designer[5]
• David Fillingham CBE (born 1960), Director from 2001–04 of the NHS Modernisation Agency[5]
• Gary Stretch (born 1965), a former British Light middleweight boxing title holder, model and actor
• Professor Paul Monks (born 1967), Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Earth Observation Science at the University of Leicester (2007-)[5]
• Tim Jonkers (born 1981), is an ex-professional rugby league footballer
• James Roby (born 1985), St Helens R.F.C. player
• Adam Swift (born 1993), St Helens R.F.C. player attended both the school and the college
• Earl Rafferty (born 1998), is a music producer, DJ and songwriter with notable performances at Glastonbury Festival.