Originally formed to serve the communities of Gibbon, Fairfax and Winthrop, the district has expanded over time to encompasses large portions of other surrounding communities, including: The district consists of two schools (before 2020, one was in each of the original three communities): The middle school in Fairfax, Minnesota was closed following the 2019-2020 school year where the 6-8th grades were brought to Winthrop.

The district's school board consists of six members (two from each of the three communities).

Launched in 1985, the Sibley County Interactive Cable TV System was a groundbreaking form of distance education using interactive television that drew national media attention.

[3] [4] Launched in 2010, the iPad Initiative made GFW one of the first schools in the nation to provide all of its high school students with iPads.

[5] [6] [7] [8] For its trailblazing efforts, GFW was awarded the Apple Distinguished School award by Apple for the 2010-2011 school year.