The Gainesville R-V School District is "fully accredited" and has A+ designation. The Gainesville R-V School District is governed by a seven-member Board of Education elected for three-year terms. The superintendent serves as the chief executive officer, and the elementary, junior high and high school each have a building principal. The district employs 62 certified employees and 42 classified employees. Fall student enrollment for the 2017-2018 school year was 625 students.  The preschool program, which started in 1997-98, serves 30 children.  The Parents As Teachers program was started in 1989 and serves approximately 37 families per year. The student-teacher ratio is one teacher to 10.5 students.

The school campuses are located approximately 1.5 miles east of Gainesville in southwest Missouri between highways 160 and 181.  The 61-acre campus includes the high school built in 1962, the junior high wing added in 1971, and the new elementary school completed in 1995.  The school district covers 339 square miles and serves several rural communities including Thornfield, Wasola, Tecumseh, and Pontiac.