In 1908, school was first held in Tomball in the Woodmen of the World building, which was a one-room framed building that educated nearly 15 students. The community soon made plans to build a school. Land on Cherry Street was donated, and by 1910 a school was built. The two-story red brick schoolhouse, which was part of the Harris County School System, consisted of two classrooms downstairs and an auditorium upstairs. By 1916, 62 students attended the school. As of 1928, the community grew and consisted of four schools. By 1931, the district employed five teachers. By 1935, the original schoolhouse was torn down and replaced with a new buff brick building that contained grades one through eleven. Two years later, a petition was presented to the Harris County School Board requesting that Tomball have its own school district. The petition was granted, which transferred all funds and debts to the Tomball Independent School District. The school on Cherry Street had grown so much that by 1938 a second campus was needed. Therefore, the district built a new red brick high school with a gymnasium and a swimming pool, which was located in the 700 block of Main Street. In 1961, the original high school on Main Street was destroyed after an electrical fire in the school's attic engulfed the building. The Houston Fire Department responded, where the fire fighters dropped a hose into the swimming pool to extinguish the flame. School was dismissed for four days. Churches and other businesses throughout the community offered their facilities so the high school students could complete the school year. By 1974, students began attending classes at the new Tomball High School on Sandy Lane, later renamed Quinn Road. Continued growth over the decades meant there was a need for additional classrooms. In 2000, voters approved a $98.4 million bond referendum that enabled the district to renovate Tomball High School. In 2011 principal Gary Moss was scheduled to retire in spring 2011, and Greg Quinn, an assistant principal, became principal. He served from Fall 2011 to Spring 2017. Chris Scott is the current principal.
Academics
For the 2018-2019 school year, Tomball High School received a B grade from the Texas Education Agency, with an overall score of 88 out of 100. Within the three performance domains, the school received an A grade for Student Achievement, B grade for School Progress, and a C grade for Closing the Gaps. The school received one of the seven possible distinction designations for Academic Achievement in Social Studies.
Athletics
Tomball High School is a member of Region 19-5A of the University Interscholastic League. In 2013 the Tomball High School baseball team finished the season with a 36-4 record and won the Texas UIL 4A State Championship.
In the 2018-2019 school year, there were 2,054 students. 4.5% were African American, 2.1% were Asian, 33.0% were Hispanic, 0.3% were American Indian, 57.1% were White, and 3.0% were two or more races. 27.4% of students were Economically Disadvantaged, 3.9% were English Language Learners, and 8.8% received Special Education services.
