Construction of Rossmoyne SHS commenced in 1967 on land that was owned by the Webb family who originally came from Scotland. It opened for students the following year (1968). The name Rossmoyne has no connection with the area but was thought to be suitable for marketing a subdivision in the area. Over the years the student catchment areas for Rossmoyne SHS were from Lynwood, Willetton, Riverton, Shelley, Bull Creek, Ferndale, southern end of Mount Pleasant, Booragoon and Brentwood. Now Rossmoyne SHS has restricted its mainstream intake to students from Rossmoyne, parts of Bull Creek and Willetton, Riverton, Shelley, Brentwood and Bateman, although it also runs a GAT (Gifted And Talented) programme for academically gifted students. Students from years seven to year ten (inclusive) are required to study a foreign language, with a choice of Chinese, German, French, and Japanese.