Gerald Ensley of the Tallahassee Democrat wrote that "It is also a symbolic merger of [the two communities], which is eliciting concern as well as optimism.

A Florida Department of Education program for rural schools funded the construction, which began in March 2002.

The mascot of East Gadsden High was the jaguar, the flower was the Rosa 'American Beauty' rose, and a lighted torch was the school emblem.

"[8] The opening ceremony featured Al Lawson, a member of the Florida Senate from Tallahassee.

[9] Immediately after the school's opening the administration made efforts to improve FCAT scores, including partnerships among teachers of separate subject areas and intensive mathematics classes; its two predecessor schools had previously scored poorly on the FCAT.

[14] Prior to the 2017 consolidation, the school colors of East Gadsden were just North Carolina blue and silver.

[6] As part of the consolidation process, the colors from the former West Gadsden High School were added.

A school football coach quoted in a Tallahassee Democrat article, Abdual Howard, stated that at East Gadsden the school colors and sports regalia had a lack of history and needed time to get more spirit behind them.