Piliyandala Central College (Sinhala: පිලියන්දල මධ්‍ය මහා විද්‍යාලය; Tamil: பிலியன்தல மத்திய வித்தியாலயம்) is a selective entry mixed-gender school located in Piliyandala, Sri Lanka. It was the first government-run mixed-gender secondary school in the country.
 The school has an enrollment of around 4000+ students. College students are known as Centralions and past pupils are known as Old Centralions.
 The school was first established in 1887 as the Mampe Piyarathanasara Buddhist Mix School, one of the first Buddhist schools in Sri Lanka. As the school grew, Rev. Mampe Saranapala Thero handed over the school to the Buddhist Theosophical Society for better administration. The society bought new land for the school but, due to the rapid increase in the number of students, was unable to maintain it and eventually handed it over to the government.
 In 1920, as a part of a program of the British agent of western province Mr Praiser, Piliyandala got a Public English Medium Mix School. The headmaster of this school was S. W. Sahabandu, and the two schools (the public English medium mix school and the Sinhalese medium mix school) were divided by a building that was shaped like a bird.[clarification needed]
 From 1920 to 1944, C. W. W. Kannangara reunited both schools and together formed Piliyandala Central College on 4 January 1944, which later on 4 March that year was converted into a Central College.
 The Ministry of Education funds the college, which also appoints its principal. The principal is the head of the college administration and is assisted by the deputy principal. The college is divided into two main parts, the middle and high schools, each coming under the supervision of the assistant principals. The college educates around 3,700 students.
 Since its establishment, the main language of education had been Sinhalese. In 2009, English was introduced as an optional language of education for the main subjects at the college. Students may select one of the two languages to conduct their studies in the main subjects.
 Admission to the college is among the most competitive outside the Colombo city area in the Colombo district. It gets its highest number of applications for admission to grade 6 via the grade 5 scholarship examination. A number of students from all over the area also entered to grade 12 via the G.C.E. Ordinary Level examination.
 The school is mostly located in Piliyandala but also spreads towards Suwariyapola, occupying a total land area of about 48,000 m2 (520,000 sq ft). 
The facilities include lecture halls, science and ICT laboratories, an auditorium, a swimming pool complex and a cricket ground. 
 Sport plays a significant part in college life. An annual cricket match between Central College Piliyandala and sporting rivals Taxila Central College, Horana, known as the Battle of the Salpiti-Raigam, has been held since 2001.
 Each student is assigned to one of four houses named after ancient Sinhala kings of Sri Lanka: Gemunu, Wijaya, Parakrama and Thissa.
 Prefect Club
 Prefects build on their teamwork and communication skills while working with different age groups, they take the initiative to propose new ideas to help to improve the school, and they gain management skills and other soft skills – skills that are undoubtedly transferable to the workplace.
 To be a good prefect, it's important to remember that your role is to help both the faculty and the students at your school. By setting a good example for students, following your school's rules, and being there when people need you, you can ensure that you're successfully fulfilling all your duties as a prefect.
 Aesthetic Club
 It pertains the study of the mind and pure emotions about the sense of beauty and intellectuality. It presents programs of a literary, artistic, musical, and timely trend to assist in educational uplift, and to bring its members together for social enjoyment.
 Club Activities means all activities conducted under the auspices of the club, including all meetings, exhibitions and displays of any kind by members.
 Media Club
 School Media refers to all the literary, digital, and technological resources available to educators complimenting a traditional curriculum. This can mean anything from physical books, to e-documents, to DVDs and information technology support systems. Often, these resources are housed in a school library or in a school media center and can be utilized to help engage students.
 Innovation Club
 
Innovating and being creative allows us to understand concepts better. By utilizing a creative, experimental method of teaching, schools develop thinkers who are able to use their own strengths to explore their varied interests.The purpose of innovation is to come up with  new ideas and technologies that increase productivity and generate greater output and value with the same input.
Religious Club Religious club means a non-curricular club designated in its application as either religiously based or based on expression or conduct mandated by conscience.
 Past Pupils Club
 Its main purpose is to keep past students connected to the School, and it aims to do that through regular communication and facilitation of reunions.