Gargždai “Vaivorykštė” Gymnasium was established in 1996. Prior to that, from 1988, it operated as Gargždai “Vaivorykštė” Secondary School. Since its establishment, the gymnasium has been the largest school in Klaipėda District. It is a municipal budgetary educational institution implementing lower secondary education (upper level) and upper secondary education programmes. Currently, the gymnasium is attended by 824 students. Over the years, the school has graduated 28 cohorts of secondary school graduates. Today, the gymnasium focuses on the comprehensive development and learning of students. It stands out among other schools in Klaipėda District due to its strong emphasis on the education of gifted students: specialised classes are established, and students actively participate in regional, national and international competitions, olympiads, projects and debate activities. The gymnasium also organises regional and national events. The school maintains an active cultural life and promotes physical activity. The gymnasium has been awarded the status of an “Active School” and a “Health Promoting School”. Student self-government is actively involved in school life, and close cooperation with the Parents’ Committee is maintained.

During the 2008–2009 school year, the Comenius bilateral school partnership project “Plane, Train, Underground. Let’s Go Around” (LLP-COM-MP-2008-LT-00205) was implemented. The project promoted ideas of sustainable travel. From 2013 to 2015, the Comenius multilateral school partnership project “European Kaleidoscope. Young Journalists in Europe” (LLP-COM-DP-2013-LT-00251) was carried out. During the project, students learned how to write articles on various topics, including environmental issues and sustainable lifestyles. Since 1995, the school has been cooperating with the Schwabach School of Arts Gymnasium in Germany. The most recent bilateral meeting took place in Schwabach from September 20 to 30, 2024. One project day was dedicated to an excursion to a physical activity centre in the Bavarian Alps, and project participants also took part in an educational programme at an engineering museum, where they learned about environmentally friendly methods of electricity generation.