1968年9月，聖公會港澳教區所轄嘅牧愛堂，向教育司署申請建間中學 ，並喺1982年得批准籌建香港聖公會屬下第33間中學喺九龍何文田忠孝街並擬名為「牧愛中學」。跟尾承蒙蔡世器慷慨捐助經費建校等紀念先翁蔡功譜，聖公會就改間學校名成「聖公會蔡功譜中學」。首任校監由吳繩武牧師出任 。喺1982年9月初，學校因入校紙未如期簽發得到，曾經藉用聖公會基心小學開課，同埋喺牧愛堂舉辦第一屆開學禮，等9月中開始先順利返到而今笪埞上堂。開辦嗰陣只有中一級八班，學生320人，另外有教師12人，實驗室技術員1人。1983年3月30日，間學校舉行咗獻校開幕感恩崇拜，並邀請埋鄺廣傑主教主禮，並由蔡世器主持場揭幕儀式畀「蔡功譜先生紀念像」 。首批學生就喺1987年首次參加香港中學會考。同年9月，學校增設香港大學預科班，分文組同埋理組，並喺1989年首次參加香港高級程度會考。
In September 1968, Mu Oi Church, which is under the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong and Macau diocese of the Sheng Kung Hui Church, applied to the Education Department for the establishment of a secondary school, and in 1982, it was approved to build the 33rd secondary school under the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui in Chung Hau Street, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, and proposed to be named "Mu Oi Secondary School". In the end, thanks to Cai Shiqi's generous donation for the construction of the school, the Anglican Church changed the name of the school to "S.K.H. Cai Gongpu Secondary School". The first supervisor was Pastor Wu Wu. At the beginning of September 1982, due to the failure to issue the admission certificate as scheduled, the school used the Episcopal Church Kei Sum Primary School to open classes, and also held the first opening ceremony at Mu Oi Church, so that the school could return to the current block for classes smoothly from mid-September. At the time of its establishment, there were only eight classes in Secondary 1, with 320 students, 12 teachers and 1 laboratory technician. On March 30, 1983, the school held a dedication service and invited Bishop Kwong Kwong Kit to officiate, and Cai Shiqi presided over the unveiling ceremony to present the "Commemorative Statue of Mr. Cai Gongpu". The first batch of students sat for the HKCEE for the first time in 1987. In September of the same year, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Foundation Year was introduced, which was divided into arts and science groups, and in 1989, the school took the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination for the first time.