It serves portions of Westland, Canton Township, Inkster, and Dearborn Heights.

The school, which opened in 1964, was named for astronaut John Glenn, who just two years prior had become the first American to orbit the Earth.

The "space" theme dominates at JGHS, including the nickname (Rockets), yearbook (the Satellite), newspaper (the Explorer,[6] formerly the Echo[7]), and school store (the Gantry).

When John Glenn High School opened its doors in 1964, it did not have its own football field, having to play home games on the field of rival Wayne Memorial High School for the better part of its first decade.

To keep up with expanding enrollment in the 1970s and 1980s, new wings were added for Fine Arts and Special Education, as well as a new gymnasium and its own football and baseball fields.