Rootstown High School was established in 1884 and met in a small building adjacent to the town hall a few blocks south of the current campus.

In 1958, population and enrollment growth necessitated construction of a separate elementary school, which was built immediately north of the building, and the existing building continued to house the junior high and high school grades.

The building, which also houses the Rootstown Local School District administrative offices, is named in honor of Ward W. Davis, who served as president of the Rootstown School Board for a number of years, including when the current facility opened.

Adjacent to the east of the high school is Robert C. Dunn Field, which includes an all-weather running track, named for a former RHS principal and football coach.

All Rover athletic teams play their home games on the Rootstown Schools campus with a few exceptions.

Bowling matches are held at Twin Star Lanes in Brady Lake, and the golf team hosts home matches at the Kent State University Golf Course in Franklin Township, both just east of Kent.

In 1960 a new version of the mascot was adopted: the Rover that is defined as "a pirate, a wanderer, or a roamer" in Webster's Dictionary.

In the 1950s the bell was on a steam locomotive on the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, and it was donated to Portage County and used as a football championship trophy.