Situated on the outskirts of Toowoomba, our school is one of the
oldest continually-open schools in Queensland. In 1851, a group of local
residents requested land to build a school to provide education for the
children of the local area. A slab and bark structure was built, with space for
two classrooms and basic accommodation for the school master and his family. When the Drayton National School opened its
doors on September 6th, 1851, 24 children were enrolled. In 1860, following
the declaration of statehood for Queensland, the school became Drayton State
School.
From this start, our school has grown to an enrolment of
approximately 300 students from Prep to Year 6. Our current classrooms, hall,
library and computer rooms are a far cry from those early days. However, we are
proud of our history, and our links to surrounding city and country on the
Darling Downs.
Our heritage is part of regular school activities. Our
three sporting houses are named after local families who have been involved in
our school over many decades;
Devine, Peak and Sowden. Each year, the Cissie Devonshire Award is
presented to a student who shows care, compassion and responsibility, in memory
of one of Drayton’s long-term residents and former pupils. The Schultz Family
award recognises sporting achievement, and representation of our school at
district, state or national level. Our students continue to work together with honour for success, as Drayton State
School students have done for almost 170 years.