Construction The construction for the first school to be explicitly known as Gainesville High School was completed in 1922 near the intersection of SW 7th Street and West University Avenue. The school lasted at this location until 1955, with
Rhodes Scholar Principal F.W. Buchholz at the helm for almost all of this period. With the construction of the present campus at 1900 NW 13th Street in 1955, the former high school building served as Buchholz Junior High School until 1967 when it became home to Santa Fe Junior College. In 1972 Santa Fe Junior moved to a new location. The old school building was later torn down to make room for a parking lot for the Hospital Professional Building. From 1900 until 1970 Gainesville High School was the main public high school serving the city of Gainesville, in addition to the segregated
Lincoln High School. However, because of large growth in the city throughout the 1960s, the capacity of GHS became strained, forcing the district to plan for a new high school. Because of the complications surrounding integration in the 1969–1970 school year, Lincoln High School was closed midyear and the student body was reassigned to GHS (on double sessions) while two new high schools were constructed and phased in beginning with the 1970–1971 school year. These two schools, F.W.
Buchholz and
Eastside, continue to be arch-rivals of Gainesville High to this day.
Addition of the 9th grade center In the mid-1990s, construction of a new wing on the northwest corner of the campus was undertaken to ease further over-crowding and foster better integration of incoming 9th-grade students. The new wing, referred to as the "9th Grade Center," houses four full-service computer labs, nearly 20 classrooms and science labs, and a large multipurpose room which functions as a meeting place and a cafeteria. The new facility also helped to bolster the school's new magnet program, the Academy of Health Professions (AHP), which the building houses.
The Cambridge Program In 2004, the school took on a new magnet program, the Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education, aimed at attracting top academic talent from the county's middle schools. The Cambridge Program offers academically capable students an international, pre-university curriculum and examination system, emphasizing the value of broad and balanced studies. The Cambridge curriculum aims to encourage the skills of independent research and investigation, the use of initiative and creativity, and the application of knowledge and skills. A range of assessment techniques is used; emphasis is placed upon the use of externally scored examinations, known as "papers," which are administered by the University of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), as well as upon compulsory practical work where appropriate. The first GHS Cambridge graduates were awarded their diplomas in 2008. GHS is the only high school in the district teaching the Cambridge curriculum. ==Band and colorguard==