[1] The former Warwick National School is a one storeyed brick building which was constructed in 1864 to designs of early Queensland architect, Benjamin Backhouse.

[1] The first surveys were carried out in Warwick by James Charles Burnett in April, 1850, with the first land sale following soon after in July of that year.

This was set up largely as the result of efforts by local pioneer, George Leslie who was concerned about the education of his own children and those of other families in the district.

[1] Backhouse, who was based in Brisbane from mid 1861 until late 1868, designed many of the early National Schools for the newly created Board, including those at Toowoomba, Condamine, Laidley, Maryborough, Bowen, Nanango, Bald Hills and Goondiwindi.

[1] By 1911 the site of the Warwick East State School was considered to be unfavourably situated, the surroundings are inimical to children's health and morals, bounded by an open sewer conveying drainage from the lower parts of the town and on the northern boundary lived people of suspicious morals, and to the south was a miserable hovel touching the school fence.

[1] The provision of lighting and ventilation in the 1864 brick building was inadequate and concerns were voiced in 1912 by the Public Works Department that these problems be addressed.

The gabled corrugated iron roof of the school is punctuated on the eastern facade with two timber boarded dormer windows, of three operable single paned casements.

[1] The south, principal entrance elevation features a projecting gabled porch, aligned with the western wall and extending about halfway along the facade.

The symmetrically arranged northern elevation has similar ventilation openings and a centrally located twelve paned window.

[1] The western elevation is protected by a single storeyed skillion roofed verandah supported on square sectioned timber columns.

The face of the western wall has six vertical sash four paned windows, symmetrically arranged flanking a centrally located doorway.

[1] Internally, the building is undivided, and the roof which is lined with timber boards is supported on king post trusses with struts.

The interior walls are painted brick, with a rendered base, and the floor throughout is timber boards laid on a concrete slab.

[1] Warwick East State School was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 21 October 1992 having satisfied the following criteria.