The Usher Institute was established by the Salvation Army at Leighwoods Farm near Figtree, Southern Rhodesia, in 1933 by then Staff Captain Salhus and his wife. Its origins reach further back to pioneer Salvationist James Henry Usher and his wife Jessie, who informally began teaching Africans living in the area starting in 1906. The school was later named Usher Institute in their honour.

To the south of Zimbabwe, then known as Rhodesia, two Salvationists had a dream: to bring education into the lives of the African people who lived in that area. In partnership with his wife, James Henry Usher set out to teach the inhabitants of the region. Though there was no properly organised programme until the arrival of Major Salhus in 1933, James and Jessie founded the work that would become Usher High School. When a more formal plan of teaching began in 1933, the first class consisted of five boys and one girl.

By 1935, enrolment had risen to thirty-four. A new classroom block was opened in 1939 with an enrolment of 101 students. Boys were taught practical subjects such as metalwork, gardening, animal husbandry, and carpentry, while girls learned needlework, cookery, childcare, and domestic sciences. The school continued to grow in size and prestige. To perpetuate the names of the Salvationists whose example deserved to be remembered, the institute was named Usher, and one of the girls' dormitories was named after James' wife Jessie: Jessie Stuart.

In the mid-1950s, Captain and Mrs Morton came to Usher Institute from Australia. Captain Morton was made principal, and his wife established a post-Standard Six course in Domestic Sciences in 1956. They encountered difficulties in setting up the programme, yet persevered, and the Institute began to attract pupils from Mashonaland and Matabeleland. Major Brigadier Lavinia Benson was appointed Headmaster of the first Boys Secondary School and was later transferred to Mazowe. She commenced the school and became principal of Usher Secondary, which had developed through successive years of high examination pass rates under her leadership.

Eva Burrows succeeded her in 1966, and her term ended in 1970. She would later become the 13th General of the Salvation Army (1986 to 1993). During her tenure, Usher became a secondary boarding school for girls. The school is presently known as Usher Girls High School or Usher Secondary School, and today welcomes both girls and pioneer boys in boarding and day school.

Usher Institute witnessed the tragic murder of two women Salvation Army missionaries, Charon F. Swindells (age 25) and Diane B. Thompson (age 28), by guerrilla fighters on 7 June 1978 during the Bush War. Two other missionaries were injured. Their deaths led to the school's closure and the Salvation Army withdrawing from the World Council of Churches. At closure, Usher had 267 secondary boarding students and 260 primary students, of whom 60 were boarders.

The school reopened in March 1980 with 240 students. Many applicants sought places, but only those with a solid background in English, Mathematics, Shona, and Ndebele were accepted. There were altogether 320 students from Form 1 to Form 4. Years of rebuilding followed, and in 2000 the first A-Level block was built, with the first A-Level class in 2001.

The history of Usher High is marked by distinguished visitors and leaders, including Vice-President Joyce Mujuru, who opened the Japan Usher Library in 2000, as well as Vice-President Joseph Msika and historian Phathisa Nyathi. Located approximately 50 km from Bulawayo, Usher is well known for producing strong results at both O-Level and A-Level and has been rated among the best schools in Matabeleland South.

The school is what it is today because of notable Salvation Army officers and leaders who gave their lives to the work, among them Colonel Phillip Rive, Colonel Jean Culdwelly, Brigadier Rosemary Gardener, Commissioner Lyster, and Major and Mrs Stan Morton, together with every teacher, officer, and family who has served at Usher High School since 1906.