It was located in the former suburb of York and was part of the Toronto District School Board.

George Harvey was also the first TDSB school to provide netbooks to students.

In May 2019, the school hosted 900 students from the displaced nearby York Memorial Collegiate Institute, which had been damaged in a five-alarm fire.

After the pupil accommodation review in 2021, the school and its name ceased to exist by June 30, 2022, and its student body was consolidated and has operated as York Memorial Collegiate Institute since September 2022.

The newly-merged school will continue to operate at the George Harvey building until 2026.