Yanco Agricultural High School is located approximately ten kilometres (six miles) from the Leeton town centre along Euroley Road on a 280-hectare (692-acre) site including 60 hectares (150 acres) of natural bushland bordered by the Murrumbidgee River.

[4][7][8]: 52 By 1860 he was able to convince his relations to back his purchase of a third share of Coonong, a 42,000 acre (16,997 ha) property near Urana in the Riverina, in partnership with David Wilson and John Cochrane.

They initially suffered setbacks due to a lack of water, which perhaps encouraged McCaughey's interest in irrigation later in his life, but he persisted with the property, despite the withdrawing of his partners, which left him as sole owner in 1864.

[4][7] McCaughey's water conservation and sheep breeding schemes proved a success and he acquired the Singorimba and Goolgumbla properties later in the 1860s (or in 1870) and by 1872 held 137,000 acres (55,443 ha).

A subterranean irrigation system was built around the homestead area by removing the topsoil to a depth of 18 inches, installing a layer of gravel, and laying the excavated soil over the top.

His blacksmith's workshop was of such quality that it produced machinery such as improved earth scoops for tank making, water wheels, ten furrow reversible ploughs, and combine harvesters.

[4][5]: 80, 105 [7] The engineering workshops at North Yanko, besides producing vital equipment for the station and irrigation scheme, allowed Sir McCaughey to indulge his flair for inventing and experimenting with mechanical appliances.

[4][5]: 80 [7] The year following Sir McCaughey's death the remainder of the North Yanco property reverted to the control of the Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission (WCIC).

This style of education blossomed in Britain and North America prior to the 1880s and was associated with an interest in "scientific farming" which would assist agriculturalists in expanding upon their traditional ways using empirical knowledge.

According to this history the first students arrived on Friday 20 January 1922 and found the Mansion and ancillary buildings, including huge stables, stockyards, blacksmiths shops, men's quarters, sawmill, two 800 ton haysheds, and large pumping station on the river, deserted and uncared for since 1919.

During this time a sporting house system was introduced at the school and an annual Beach Carnival inaugurated by Jack Woods, a teacher and former Sydney surf life-saver (Bill Barwick History).

From this period onwards Yanco catered for the agricultural families of the south and west of the state, Farrier the north, and Hurlstone the greater metropolitan region.

The focus on this area in the NSW education system was related to the contemporary perception that the future of the state would depend largely on the extension and development of its agricultural resources.

By this time the school had several problems including student and staff accommodation, the dilapidated condition of the classroom block (1939), staffing formula, and rising cost of fees.

The schools charter has a focus on "a strong sense of Scholarship, responsible Leadership, Personal Integrity, Citizenship and competitive Sportsmanship" and it continues to provide a comprehensive co-educational residential experience in a rural setting for students from isolated areas in the state.

[1][4] YAHS comprises a large complex of approximately 50 educational and residential buildings on a 280 hectare property southwest of Yanco in Central NSW on the north bank of the Murrumbidgee River.

There are 12 dormitory buildings (Mutch, Gardiner, Breakwell, Hindmarsh, Mason, Gosper, Eadis, Hyatt, Hilton and the pods ) where students sleep; girls and boys are separated from access after certain times.

[4] A number of pieces of movable heritage are also stored at YAHS including:[4] When the McCaughey Mansion was originally constructed it was surrounded to the east by landscaped gardens and an artificial lake (1899–1902).

When the conversion to natural gas occurred, the entire building was converted into an extended laundry (maybe the north wing was added at this time) and the western section retained for use as a Maintenance workshop.

As at 28 July 2017, Yanco Agricultural High School (YAHS) is of state significance for its historic, associative, technical, social, research, rarity, and representative values.

Through these features the site is strongly associated with Sir Samuel McCaughey (1835–1919), a successful, prominent, and influential pastoralist and sheep-breeder, innovator of farming technology and equipment, advocate of large-scale irrigation works, philanthropist, and member of the NSW Legislative Council.

YAHS is of state historical significance due to the important role it has played in the history and development of large-scale irrigation schemes and agricultural education in NSW.

The surviving range of features at YAHS displays both the first stage of the irrigation system (two remnant canal sections) and the results of its success (the mansion and landscaped gardens) that allows this important story to be effectively told.

The fact that YAHS is strongly associated with the history and development of the MIA, as it was originally designed to provide farmers for this scheme, only adds to its historical significance.

Sir McCaughey was a successful, prominent, and influential pastoralist and sheep-breeder, innovator of farming technology and equipment, advocate of large-scale irrigation works, philanthropist, and member of the NSW Legislative Council (1899–1919).

For Sir McCaughey it was a clear statement of his wealth and influence that allowed him to transport this type of metropolitan focussed architecture and high craftmanship to an isolated rural context.

The remnant two canal sections (one extant, one archaeological) at YAHS have research potential in a state context for the information they can provide on the first stage of the North Yanco Irrigation Scheme.

These archaeological features could be compared and contrasted with the other remnant channels and irrigation works from the subsequent phases of the scheme preserved across other sections of the former North Yanco Holding.

[4] The buildings, equipment, and archives of the school complex at YAHS have research potential in a state context for the information they can provide on the history and development of agricultural education in NSW.

The way buildings from different periods are preserved at YAHS provides a window through which the changing and evolving ideas and thoughts about agricultural education in NSW from the 1920s through to the present can be appreciated.