Opened in 1912, it is located at 521 W. Fourth Ave. in the Cliff/Cannon neighborhood of downtown Spokane, bounded by I-90 to the north and MultiCare Deaconess Hospital to the west.

It replaced South Central High School, destroyed by fire in 1910, and was named for the two leaders of the Corps of Discovery.

Meanwhile, the Spokane Daily Chronicle encouraged readers to enter a contest to suggest names for the new high school.

In 2020, a third complex with a commons and cafeteria was added with two floors of classrooms, connected to the west side of the main building.

[9] In 2019, work began on a $23.4 million addition to the school, adding eight classrooms, a commons area and a cafeteria.

[10] Prior to the construction of the cafeteria, students ate lunch in the hallways or would walk to a cluster of nearby fast food restaurants.