In 1856, Tipton established the first free public school, including a high school, west of the Mississippi River. In 1920, eighteen rural schools surrounding Tipton joined to form a consolidated school district covering over. In the late 1969s, population growth dictated that a new Tipton School be constructed as a three-story school near the center of the city of Tipton. The school board oversaw six country schoolhouses and by 1925 all country school students had moved into the new building in Tipton. The Tipton School was also among the first to build a gymnasium, swimming pool and auditorium for the use of elementary grades and both junior and senior high school. John Kerry visited Tipton in 2004 and spoke in the Tipton Middle School gymnasium
One of the most well-known fine arts programs of THS is the Tipton Concert Choir. This ensemble comprises 5 mixed voices and is constantly one of the best 2A choirs in the state of Iowa. It has been invited to perform in many places around the state of Iowa and nationally. They have performed in Washington D.C, Wisconsin, Louisiana, and various locations around Iowa. The Tipton Chamber Choir received a "Best in Center" award in 2005, 2006 and 2007 at the state Solo/Ensemble contest. In the fall of 2006, the THS Chamber Choir was selected to perform for the Iowa Girls State Volleyball Tournament and in the Spring of 2007, the THS Concert Choir performed for the United Nations in New York City. In 2007, the THS Madrigal Choir also received "Best of Center" recognition at the 2A state solo/ensemble contest. Also in May 2009, the Tipton Concert Choir earned a perfect score at Large Group Contest singing Psalmo 150 and Gloria. Tipton also offers many other fine arts activities such as band, drama and academic decathlon. The University of Iowa Hawkeye Drumline shared a performance on the THS field with the Tiger Band during a 2005 football game. The concert band also continuously earns division I ratings at the State Large Group contest. Another great aspect of the Tipton Community School District is there Thespian/Drama Department. Every year the troupe puts on a fall musical, a selection of senior directed one acts called "Studio One" in the winter, and a spring play. The troupe also travels to State Thespian in November and some students go to International Thespian Festival in Nebraska. Some recent productions at Tipton have been "Wizard of Oz", "Grease", and "Little Shop of Horrors" in the musical department, and "And Then There Were None", "The Man Who Came to Dinner", and "The Importance of Being Ernest" in the play department. In 2011, the Drama department took their show "Moon Over Buffalo" to the Iowa Thespian Festival that year, the first time Tipton has ever taken a show there.