Thomas Mills (1623-1703) came to Fram from Grundisburgh to learn wheelwrighting. He made a fortune by hard work, inheritance and a good marriage and then left it to help the needy and elderly, and to educate the children of the town and district.

Under the terms of his will, the Mills Almshouses (which Pevsner describes as a 'stately range') were built in 1704-5 to provide homes for eight old people. Still maintained, modernised, by the Mills Charity, the homes have been continuously in occupation ever since. Thomas decreed that any income left over each year should be used for the education of children. The first Mills School was established in 1751 and existed for over a century. In 1891, the endowed Schools Commissioners published a Scheme to establish Mills Grammar School using the charity's money (and a sum taken from the Hitcham Trust). The School, originally for girls aged between 8 and 16, but with a kindergarten which also accepted boys, opened in 1902. It began with just 25 pupils, but eventually grew to 470, including (after 1974) boys of secondary school age.

In 1979, this second Mills school joined with Framlingham Modern School (established 1937) to form the Thomas Mills High School situated on Saxtead Road. Family names associated with the castle are used for the school's five houses, while the school motto originally belonged to Mary Tudor, who became Queen at Framlingham Castle in 1553.