Designed by Rossman Partners the buildings were constructed exclusively of metal with minimal ornamentation.

[2] Twin City Construction Company of Fargo, North Dakota built the school.

The construction company was later fired by the district for failing to meet the construction deadline, this would later result in a lawsuit being filed by the company.

Remaining construction work was completed by other contractors.

By 1976, the school had filled up with more than 2,100 students,[4] in 1976 the first class to have gone through all four years (freshman-senior) at the school graduated, and by 1979, that number reached its peak, with 2,742 students attending Thunderbird.