Previously Methodist Pilley Memorial Secondary School, the school was set up in 1967 to meet the needs of Form 3 to Form 5 students. Methodist Pilley Institute (MPI) was then formed in April 1991, succeeding the secondary school, in response to changes of educational policies.
As American missionaries, both Mr and Mrs Pilley were born and raised in China, they served in Fuzhou (capital of Fujian province) until the day they were forced to leave the country in 1949, the time when Communists came into power.
When they arrived in Sibu, they served selflessly and wholeheartedly to establish schools and churches. When Mr Pilley was the principal of Methodist Secondary School (1949-1952, 1958-1960), Mrs Pilley dedicated all her time to reach out and help countless underprivileged ones to receive their education. In the same period of time, Mrs Pilley also set up Methodist Children?s Home in Sibu, the first children shelter in town, 1951.