Juan P. Jalipa Memorial National High School is a public secondary school located in Sibawan, Kidapawan City, Province of Cotabato. It is located along the Magpet-Kidapawan national highway between the boundaries of Kidapawan City and Magpet, another municipality of Cotabato Province. It was established upon the dire need felt by the City Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Gloria M. Mudanza, to establish an institution for secondary education that would cater to the educational needs of the youth not only in Barangay Sibawan but also in the neighboring barangays like Mateo, Luvimin, Kalasuyan, Marbel and Gubatan and Kauswagan of Magpet. The Office of the City Schools Division Superintendent learned that a number of youths, the majority of them are children of poor farmers and jobless parents residing in these barangays, were not able to continue their studies due to the far distance of the high schools from their homes. Those who are residing in the remotest barangays have to hike several kilometers from their homes to the city proper of Kidapawan or Poblacion of Magpet where most high schools are found.

It was through the generosity of the former Vice-Governor of Cotabato, Atty. Wilfredo Jalipa, that the dream to establish a secondary school became a reality. Through the solicitation done by Dr. Gloria M. Mudanza, and her mathematics supervisor, Mrs. Paulina M. Jalipa, Atty. Wilfredo Jalipa agreed to donate a one-hectare land for the school site on one condition: that a school should be established at once after six months of its donation and – that was February 2000.

In June 2000, the first batch of one hundred-five students (105) came to study in the two-classroom building made of “kalakat” or woven bamboo slits and other local materials. What made this school special was the fact that since there was a shortage of teachers at that time, the division supervisors volunteered to be the teachers. Their willingness to support the aim of the school to provide education was the driving force behind this noble act. This made the school unique and only in the country during its first year of operation.

The first two years of the school were a sacrifice for both the teachers and the students. Since the school was located just along the highway, the school was constantly showered with dust from the unpaved road as trucks and other vehicles passed by. The chainsawing of the trees in the nearby areas, the grinding of the mixer used in the construction of the bridge just in front of the school, plus the noisy speeding of vehicles passing by were problems that eventually diapered. With the swift passing of time, improvements took place through the constant support of the government sector, non-government organizations (NGOs), and other concerned individuals.

The school was then a recipient of the Mayor Malaluan type building; was able to have two more buildings through the congressional fund of Congressman Gregorio T. Ipong, congressman of District II; three classrooms and laboratory buildings from Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP). Since the school has attained its independence; it has already its teaching items and a separate budget for the school to operate normally. The Mt. Apo Foundation, Inc. (MAFI) through its assistance to the secondary schools, the Local Government of Kidapawan City, and the PTA made the school sustain its existence.

At present, the school is continuing its growth. A recent result in the National Achievement Test (NAT) shows that it is one of the top schools in Kidapawan City. Renovation and improvement of school grounds to uplift its structures and beautify its grounds are the priority projects of the present stakeholders.