 It was the first public high school to open in Peel in ten years.Many names of many Canadian icons were suggested for the school, but the Peel District School Board chose Rick Hansen Secondary School.Rick Hansen granted permission to the Peel District School Board to use his name for the school, saying that he was "delighted that your school will be part of my heritage and to carry the history of the Man in Motion tour by being a barrier-free school."