[3] The town was formerly named Bangahon, but its population was resettled to its current location on September 29, 1902.

After settling in its new location, the name Gandara was given to it in commemoration of the former Governor-General José de la Gándara y Navarro.

Geo-Political Boundaries Based on latest 2014 survey, the total population was 33,264, consisting of 17,046 males and 16,218 females.

The municipality of Gandara is known for its products such as queseo (kesong puti),[11] tablea, tinapa (smoked fish),[12] kalinayan rice, rootcrops and peanuts exported in the entire region of Eastern Visayas and to any point of the Philippine archipelago.

1801 or the Gabaldon Law, a legislation written by Isauro Gabaldón of the Philippine Assembly in 1907.

The law provided for the funding of ₱1 million for the construction of modern public schools across the Philippine Islands from 1908 to 1915.

By the turn of 20th Century, pupils/students populations are increasing, some are migrants and other from within the town, the former (DECS) - Ministry/Department of Education Culture and Sports now DepEd (Department of Education) decided to create partition on the interior Barrios Schools and along the Road Schools.

They rebuilt the village and built a church made of stone and roofed with zinc and partly with nipa.

They also built a convento of the same materials and two parochial schools (one for boys and another for girls) and a casa real of wood.

The older residents of Gandara remember that the first book they used in the school was the Katon Cristiana.