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No one
knows exactly when the school in Nangi was first opened because
most of the early founders are no loner living or have moved to
other locations. According to village elders, a primary school was
established around 1956 by retired Gurkha soldiers of the village
who fought in Second World War. These retired soldiers served as
teachers during the early years of the school, and though few had
been to school themselves, they understood that education was essential
for improving the lives of people in a community.
 The
school original building was small, there were no text books,
and the teachers taught by reciting what they had learned in the
army. Each student had a wooden board to write on with white soft
marble found in a nearby cliff. Students were taught up to the
fifth grade, and the classes were moved down to the warmer valleys
in winter when the villagers moved their cattle.
In 1966, the school was upgraded to include a middle school.
The school received its first teacher who had completed the 10th
grade education at this time, and five more classrooms were added.
Over the next three decades, the school ran much the same way,
though the students eventually were given text books and the government
sent a few more teachers who had completed a 10-12th grade education.
On several occasions before 1992, the villagers discussed the
possibility of starting a high school in the village. Opinions
were divided in village council meetings, and in a vote cast by
villagers in 1990, those who were "for" the high school
had lost. This did not mean that people who voted against the
school were not interested in educating their children –
their main concern was how they would pay for the teachers. However,
all the villagers unanimously agreed to start a high school in
1992. Each of the 75 retired soldiers in the village contributed
their one month's pension, 40 soldiers on active duty contributed
one month's salary and a family which had no income from military
service provided $12 as a donation. The surrounding villagers
also provided financial support and manpower for building the
new school. The facilities were upgraded the school from the seventh
grade to the eighth grade in January 1993, and Himanchal High
School had come into existence.
After the birth of the high school, there has been no negative
argument for the existence of the school, and villagers have been
working very hard for its continued development. For the past
decade, each family in the village has provided at least 30 days
of free labor service every year for developing the school facilities
and other programs.
The high school from grade one through ten was upgraded to 11th grade in 2002 and 12th grade in 2003. The school from grade one through twelve is called higher secondary school in Nepal. The school is providing education, business and liberal art courses to the students. Students from ten neighboring villages come to Nangi school after they finish 10th grade in their villages.
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