Residential Schools

In 1889, the Thunderchild Reserve School was condemned and the construction of a new one recommended, as the building was unfit for holding school in. The education of the students and the materials for their education were considered substandard by Indian Affairs officials who inspected it.

Pasqua's day school closed because attendance was too low. There were 33 children from this reserve who were thus sent to the industrial school at Fort Qu'Appelle and the boarding school at Muscowpetung.

School on John Smith's reserve closed during March of 1888, when the teacher had to stop teaching because of ill health, and no one replaced him/her.

The Presbyterian church established a school near Muscowpetung's reserve in 1888.

A school opened on Little Child (Cowessess) reserve in 1886. Cree, Saulteaux and Metis children in the area were legally obligated to attend.

The Beauval boarding school continued to educate Indigenous students from surrounding communities until its closure in 1983. In the 1980s, students were attending from areas including Flying Dust, Waterhen, Ministikwan, Makwa Saghaiehcan and Joseph Bighead. In 1963, six classrooms were added. In 1974, the school was extended to include high school education, and the first grade 12 graduates were produced in 1978. In 1979, the Department of Indian Affairs added a gym, library, and science lab. By the time the school closed in 1983, it was considered highly technologically advanced with 28 typewriters, 12 computers, and 2 word processors. The school stated that it had graduated 134 students at the high school level, 100 of them with complete high school diplomas. Past students of the school pursued careers such as mine lab tech, mill operator, security staff, chiefship, band councillor, teacher, municipal policing, clerical staffing, dental assistants, educational counselling. One student was noted to become a lawyer

The school is recorded as having various forms of recreational activities available. Sport programming available at the school included hockey, soccer, cross-country running and other track and field events. The sports teams enjoyed marked success at the provincial level and the school is recorded as being well-known for its hockey players. Student councils and other clubs and activities were also available at both the school and residence.

Religious beliefs formed the basis of the educational curriculum at the school until its closure in 1983. Between 1919 and 1934, 30 young men were trained for the priesthood at this institution

On July 1, 1984, the Meadow Lake bands assumed responsibility for overall administration of the school. The ten chiefs of this group had previously served as Beauval's school board. At the time of the transition, the bands assumed powers similar to a school division. The intent was to turn the school into an educational centre that could be used by the entire district for various purposes.

Physical abuse was not uncommon in residential schools. There are many documented accounts of students being physically beaten and abused.

Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Hayter Reed, remarked in a letter to Rev. Albert Pascal that the industrial school system was largely ineffective in the Northwest Territories, and no more such schools should be constructed in the territory. He also notes that what was taught at industrial schools were not of use to Indigenous peoples, especially those that did not live close to large urban settlements. He called on the department to admit that these schools have little practical value.

Agent Jones's report on the condition of Keeseekoose school criticized the fact that the graveyard was located too close to the schoolhouse. Hayter Reed responded to the complaint by telling him that funds had been allocated to build a new schoolhouse further from the graveyard.

Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Hayter Reed, responded to reports that young mothers and their babies were living at the Onion Lake residential school, and issued orders that such "undesirable inhabitants" be removed from the school.