It was named in honour of the 19th Governor General of Canada Georges Vanier.

The first two graduating classes, of 1969 and 1970, were temporarily housed at other locations, during the construction of the new high school.

To coincide with the school's closing, there was a homecoming reunion held on the weekend of July 22, 2011.

The approximately 500 students, affectionately called the "General Vanier Vikings", came from a wide array of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds.

Many activities are available to students including concerts and jazz bands, Drama, and many different sports.