[6] Garden City is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs.

Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs.

[1] As years passed, the athletics department began to experience moderate success, and in 1945, Garden City won its first state championship in track as well as repeating the feat in 1946.

Garden City High School experienced many changes in 1959, including the creation of the counseling and honors programs, and a new dress code.

[1] In 1961, the main gymnasium (referred to as "The Garden") was completed and the debate team won the state championship for a second time.

Garden City would win its first state championship in men's golf in 1977 and progress continued throughout the rest of the decade.

In 1984, an idea was conceived among administrators and board members of the school district to recognize past graduates of GCHS who had gone on to distinguish themselves through outstanding accomplishments.

This idea was brought into action in the spring of 1984, when the first members of the Garden City High School Hall of Fame were inducted.

[1] Sabine Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, with the alternative name, Garden City High School.

In 2006, an open-air courtyard located at the center of the previous high school was enclosed and replaced with an atrium to increase space for lunchtime seating and activities.

[1] Groundbreaking for the new high school took place on September 23, 2009, and construction was completed on April 1, 2012 at $7 million under budget.

This also allowed the asphalt parking to be changed to concrete and for adding artificial turf to the football field, which saves on future maintenance costs.

[12][13] The Blue Ribbon Award recognizes public and private schools which perform at high levels or have made significant academic improvements.

In addition, principal James Mireles was honored with the Terrel H. Bell Award for Outstanding Leadership.

An open courtyard had previously existed in the central section of the school which had gone largely unused.

School officials met and decided to enclose the courtyard and transform the space into a multi-purpose atrium tetrastylum.

The renovation was, however, largely regarded by students and residents of Garden City as a waste of resources, owing to the construction of the current high school.

One of the main reasons for the enclosure of the courtyard was to provide adequate room for most of its students in a lunchroom of some sort.

Each career academy has teachers from different subjects, who combine their efforts as a means of integrating academic and technical curriculum.

Students are able to participate in different academies each year, with the ultimate purpose of better preparing them for college and careers than traditional educational systems.

The baseball program competes at Clint Lightner Stadium and the softball team at the James Tangeman Sports Complex.

[23] The football program also has produced several notable collegiate and professional athletes including former NFL pro-bowler Fum McGraw.

[24] During the 2007 Hatchet Game, junior quarterback Brodrick Smith set the school record when he rushed for 347 yards in a 42–28 win.

[27] The men's basketball team has featured several notable alumni including former mayor of San Jose, California, Chuck Reed, and former Texas Longhorns' all-time leading free-throw shooter, Brandy Perryman.

[28][29][30] Since Garden City High School was established, it has won eleven state championships in wrestling, occurring in 1971, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Additionally, the boys' and girls' programs have produced four individual state champions; Cole Wasinger in 1995,[44][45] McKenzie Thayer in 2011,[46] Sion Audrain in 2017 and 2019,[47][48] and Maddix Shook in 2024.

In 2003, Eric Babb won the long jump state title for the first time in the school's history.

[53] The track & field program finished runner-up in the 2006 state championship, falling to Lawrence High School by half a point.

Beginning in 2018, the Sugar Beet changed printing locations and moved from Garden City to Hutchinson due to newspaper tariffs and trade wars.

The school annually puts on a four performance musical in mid-November, showcasing the talent of GCHS thespians.