Garrison Cadet College Kohat is situated in the picturesque suburb of Kohat City. Foundation Stone of the College was laid on 1st March 1990 by the then Prime Minister of Pakistan Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The college was inaugurated on 10 May 1993 by the then Quartermaster General of Pakistan Army, Lieutenant General Muhammad Arif Bangash, HI(M), SBt. The regular classes commenced in March 1993. The first principal was Col Muhammad Idrees Niazi (Retd).
The students for GCCK are selected at two levels ie class 8th, which is the main entry, and class 11th. The tests for class 8th are held at Kohat, DI Khan, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Sialkot, Lahore, Multan and Karachi and for class 11th at Kohat station only.
The college is spread over an area of 85 acres of land, surrounded by lush green fields. The sight of magnificent hills of Kohat and Orakzai, from inside college, mesmerize the viewer. The college has five houses Zangi, Ghazali, Ayubi, Ceena and Kayani, named after great Muslim warriors and scholars Noor-ud-Din Zangi, Imam Ghazali, Sultan Sallahudin Ayubi, Ibn-e-Ceena and Justice Rustam Kayani respectively.
GCCK has been established by HQ 9 Division. It is under the control and management of a Board of Governors. The General Officer Commanding 9 Division heads the BOG as its Chairman.