J.E. Richards Middle opened its doors to 1,470 students on August 24, 1987. Built to relieve overcrowding at Five Forks, Lawrenceville, and Sweetwater Middle Schools, construction at Richards began in April 1986, and Gwinnett County's 13th middle school was completed just before opening at a cost of 3.6 million.

Richards was named in honor of James Everett Richards, an outstanding Gwinnett Educator for 17 years. Mr. Richards became principal of Norcross High School in 1957 after several years of teaching and leadership. During his years as a high school principal, Richards realized the need to mold work habits and character in students during their transitional middle school years. In 1969, Mr. Richards became the first principal of Lawrenceville Middle School, which opened in 1971.

Sadly, Mr. Richards' tenure as principal was cut short by a tragic automobile accident on February 2, 1972, and he died on September 21, 1972. His wife, Mrs. Vinnie Richards, had been an active supporter of the school since 1987 until her passing in the fall of 2005. During the 1987 dedication ceremony for RMS in 1987, principal John Ford said of Mr. Richards, "Knowing the goals of J. E. Richards genuinely gives our school positive direction and an inspiration by which we can aspire to achieve."

Richards Middle has experienced enormous change in its 20-year history. Originally set among forests and farmland at 600 Houston Road, Richards has seen its surroundings change as the area grew up around it. In 1995, the school’s mailing address became 3555 Sugarloaf Parkway when Houston Road was consolidated with Johnson Road, Davis Mill Road, and Atkinson Road to become four-lane Sugarloaf Parkway. The only remnant of Houston Road is the now unnamed access road connecting the entrances of Richards and Cedar Hill Elementary to Sugarloaf Parkway.

Richards has grown as well; the building has more than doubled in size with new additions built in 1989, 2001, and 2005. Originally 40 classrooms, RMS has expanded to over 100 classrooms to accommodate over 2,400 students in 2006.

RMS has also experienced a change in identity. Once a feeder school for Central Gwinnett, Berkmar, and Brookwood high schools, Richards is now part of the Central Gwinnett Cluster. The blue and white Rams of 1987 became Black Knights in 1997. Richards has four elementary feeder schools: Lawrenceville, Cedar Hill, Simonton, and most recently, Margaret Winn Holt Elementary School.

To date, five principals have shaped the direction of RMS: John Ford (1987-1990), Georgia Barnwell (1990-1997), Michael Grzeskiewicz (1997-1998), Gary Bahn (1998-2003), Judy Stephens (2004-2009) and current principal Reginald Kirkland.

While RMS has had an ever-changing inaugural 20 years, some things about Richards have remained the same. One of those is the generosity of the faculty and students who have for many years, led the county in fundraising for United Way. Quite a few faculty and staff present at the school's opening are still at RMS today, and several former students have returned as faculty, working alongside those who inspired them to teach. And although the number of feeder elementary schools has doubled, Richards continues to blend those students, and newcomers from across the country and around the world into a community of learners.