The school was first opened in 1898. The town of Mutare, then Umtali, was originally located where the school stands today. Mutare was moved to its current location when the contractors failed to construct a railway line from Beira, Mozambique through the mountainous terrain.

Cecil Rhodes decided to turn the old town into a mission, and he granted the old town site to Bishop Joseph Hartzell of the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) in March 1888, and this included buildings as well as 13,000 acres of land. Official opening of Old Mutare Mission took place on 7 and 8 October 1899. It began as a boys’ only school in 1901, with the girls’ school being established a few years later initially with just one student.  The school eventually became integrated into a co-ed institution in 1924.

Across the road from Hartzell High School, is the United Methodist Church related university, Africa University, housed on 600 acres of the Mission land granted to Bishop Hartzell many years ago. The ground breaking ceremony was on 6 April 1991, and some of the high school students took part in the historical event.

The mission is also home to a primary school, a hospital, church, dental clinic, and an orphanage.

Hartzell is a United Methodist church institution which exists to uphold church standards.
To provide quality and value centred education designed to assist students towards complete fulfilment as individuals of worth who are ready and willing to give meaningful services to their families, church, nation and the world at large through commitment by teaching, non-teaching staff and all stakeholders.

To become a school of excellence by being among the best five schools in Manicaland in terms of academic performance at ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels and sporting disciplines.

• Accountability

• Transparency

• Integrity

• Impartiality

• Efficiency