Gibbs School was named for the street where it is located -- which, in turn, was named after a family that was prominent in Canton's early history.

The original building was constructed in 1914 and comprised 16 classrooms and an auditorium. Ten years later, due to rapid population growth in Canton, 12 classrooms were added.

The first principal of Gibbs was Miss Madge Youtz, for whom another school in the district is now named. At one time, during the building of Timken Vocational High School, some of the district's ninth graders were assigned to Gibbs until the completion of that project.

As part of the Design for the Future building program, construction of a new Gibbs school began in July 2002. The new school opened in 2004.