What is being referred to today as the Army Recruit Training School (ARTS) has a long history, dating as far back as 1926. It first started as a Regimental Depot in 1926 in Kumasi, and was later designated the Gold Coast Regimental Training Centre.

After independence, it was re-designated the Ghana Regimental Training Centre, with an intake of 350 trainees. The number of training companies was increased from two to three in 1962. The training officers, who were mostly British, were later relieved by a Canadian Army Training Team. The Training Centre was responsible for training personnel for all the three services, Army, Navy and Airforce.

On 10 July 1963, the school was re-designated the Armed Forces Training Centre and moved from Kumasi to Kaladan Barracks in Tamale. On 4 May 1969 it relocated to the old Airport at Nyoni (also in Tamale), and was called the Armed Forces Recruit Training School (ARTS). In February 1985, the AFRTS was disbanded and its courses were transferred to 6 Infantry Battalion.

From 1986 to 1988 the responsibility for training was again assigned to 4 Infantry Battalion, Kumasi. The AFRTS moved from Kumasi to its present location, Shai Hills, in 1991 with 115 recruits.

As a result of the restructuring of the Ghana Armed Forces, the school was re-designated the Army Recruit Training School (ARTS). It is thus now exclusively responsible for the training of recruits for the Ghana Army only.

The school has over the years passed through the hands of very competent Commanding Officers. These include Maj Gen JK Attipoe, Brig-Gen R Winful, Lt Col Fugar (rtd), Lt Col RNK Bobee, Lt Col M Whajah and Lt Col TN Ba-Taa-Banah.

The current Commanding Officer is Lt Col NK Kporku . The school is under the direct operational and administrative control of the Chief Staff Officer, Brig Gen M Owusu-Ababio, at Army Headquarters, Burma Camp. The ARTS is organized into a School Headquarters, a Training Support Company and three training companies.