The hydrotherapy pool is part of the new Yawarra Community School, which has been built on the former Dubbo West Public School infants site.

Dubbo MP Dugald Saunders, Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell and Yawarra Community School principal Deb McCreadie turned the sod on Tuesday. The pool is expected to open in May 2020.

It's part of a $20 million project by the NSW government to transform the site into a special needs school.

Mr Saunders said the hydrotherapy pool was a much needed resource. It will be available to the students during the day, as well as to the rest of the community, who will be able to access it through a separate entrance.

"There was one originally in Dubbo that was part of a special needs school that was shut down about 25 years ago," he said.

"There's been several pushes from community groups over the years to get more hydrotherapy services into Dubbo and this will fill that need."

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Ms McCreadie said for students with physical needs it would provide therapy, while for those with intellectual needs it was another way to stay active.

"It'll make a great difference to the school. But not just our school, we'll welcome other schools and children with special needs to come and use the facility," she said.

Yawarra opened at the start of term two. There are currently 12 students at the school, as well as four teachers and four school learning support officers.

Ms McCreadie said the school was already have an affect in the students' lives.

"They love it. They come with smiles on their faces, which brings us great joy every morning. None of us like to go to school every day but they enjoy being here and they love showing other people around," she said.

Ms Mitchell said she was very impressed with the state-of-the-art school.

"I know that the community has lobbied hard for this, I know Dugald has been big supporter of this project from the word go, but ultimately what it's about are these kids," she said.

"It's about giving them the best possible education, giving them the opportunities that they need to succeed and to thrive, and it's quite heart-warming to be here and see it in person."

Ms McCreadie said she was the "luckiest principal in the world" to work at Yawarra.

"I love the staff and I love to see the children progress," she said.