Gabbinbar State School opened in 1972 as the first of its type constructed in the Toowoomba area. The open design allows children to work and interact in multi-year level classrooms that maximise their learning opportunities.

Gabbinbar, the name chosen for the school, is an aboriginal word meaning "beautiful place". Its historic relevance to Toowoomba is that it was the name Sir Hugh Nelson gave to the homestead he used as his country retreat from the hurly-burly of politics. Sir Hugh was the Premier of Queensland from 1895 to 1898 and President of the Legislative Council from 1898 until his death in January 1906. Gabbinbar Homestead still stands, a short distance from the school.

From the proud history of the name, our School has written a history of educational innovation and variety of instructional techniques such as co-operative teaching and multi-level grouping.