Nyanda State High School was established in 1998 as a result of an amalgamation between Salisbury State High School and Acacia Ridge State High School. Situated on a ten hectare native bushland on Fairlie Terrace, Salisbury (former site of Salisbury State High School), Nyanda State High School quickly established a reputation for providing high quality public education. The name ‘Nyanda’ is an Aboriginal word meaning ‘waterholes’ and was chosen due to the river which runs through the school.

In May 2013, Queensland Minister for Education, Training and Employment, the Hon. John Paul Langbroek announced that Nyanda State High School would be one of nine schools closing down in Queensland. The community fought hard to keep Nyanda open by protesting, being present at community consultations and by writing submissions. However, on the 17th of September the decision was final, six schools would close its doors on the 13th of December.

The closure took a toll on many people and in order to bring some closure to the community, the Forever Nyanda Festival was held on the 6th of December. The festival was great and brought the Nyanda family together. With the Forever Nyanda website, we hope that we can also bring you closure as sometimes it is comforting to have a place to fall back on to reminiscent a big part of our lives.