Although the Education Commission first proposed the concept of Sahodaya School Complexes in 1966, it was the National Policy on Education in 1966 that recognized the importance of establishing school complexes in order to optimize educational quality. This laid the tone for bringing the schools together and uniting them in order to foster healthy interactions. The inaugural national conference of CBSE affiliated school principals, hosted in 1985 by CBSE in partnership with APSC Madras, highlighted school collaboration and developing links in academic, co-curricular, and cultural activities. The idea to establish Sahodaya School Complexes was further reinforced in Delhi in October 1986, when CBSE and NPSC collaborated on a two-day conference for school principals and teachers. 

The Vision, “Accepting the necessity for establishing school complex (es) which may be named SS complexes so that the isolation that exists today between the schools will give way to the partnership among schools within the complexes and they will work and rise together”, started taking shape. In 1987, CBSE used a book, “Implementation of National Policy on Education in CBSE affiliated Schools-Program of Action for three years,” that reiterated school complexes and resolved to encourage the opportunity to set up Sahodaya School Complexes, in line with the National Policy of Education, 1986.