The school serves an area of approximately 500 km²,[1] including the communities of Palmerston, Harriston, Drayton, Clifford, Moorefield, Rothsay, and for French Immersion, students from more distant towns such as Mount Forest.

[1] Norwell District Secondary School’s athletic teams include badminton, basketball, cross country running, field hockey, ice hockey, soccer, track and field, and volleyball.

[3] Norwell’s grade nine and eleven Hockey Skills Program and Integrated Arts Projects at Drayton Theatre, CELP, state of the art technical programming, new LEAF program, and achievement of becoming an ECO Gold School represent the foundation of a new way of building educational programs that are relevant to learning and to our learners.

[1] Cut the Mic, formerly known as Infrasonic, is an annual event at Norwell, usually held in April.

Norwell has held the Relay For Life since 2004 to fundraise for the Canadian Cancer Society.