Port Hedland School of the Air was established to enable distance education students in the Pilbara to have peer and teacher contact on a regular basis. The first radio lesson was transmitted on 7th September 1964.
In October 1998, staff moved to new premises at the Port Hedland International Airport. This building was constructed as a joint School of the Air and R.F.D.S. facility. This is the only physical alliance between the two organisations in Western Australia, even though there has always been a strong relationship and typical clientele.
The facility is characterised by a high-quality, flexible workforce and learning spaces with a significant focus on cutting-edge telecommunications technology. On 7th September 2019, the school celebrated 55 years of providing educational services to the isolated students of the Pilbara. The school is now in its fifty-sixth year. It is one of the region’s oldest schools and forms part of the state’s five Schools of the Air.