Dawson Higher Secondary & Multipurpose School came into existence on 1st March 1916, through the herculean efforts of illustrious sons of the soil like Late Rai Bahadur Brindaban Chandra Goswami, Rai Bahadur Bhadreswar Baruah, Rai Bahadur Bishnu Charan Bora, Pandit Kanak Chandra Sarmah. The school was first started at Nowgong Natya Mandir. Then Deputy Commissioner James Alexander Dawson, I.C.S. allotted a plot of land for the school near Itachali, Nowgong, where at present Nowgong I.T.I. Institute is situated. Finally in the year 1938 school was shifted to present site. To express sense of gratitude to J.A. Dawson, Deputy Commissioner (1913 to 1919) later became Chief Secretary of Govt. of Assam (1933-1937), the people of Nagaon decided to name the school itself after him.

