An Overview of the Schools

  • The goal of Indian Residential Schools was to assimilate Indians into society— to kill the Indian in the child.
  • The Canadian government operated Indian Residential and Say Schools in partnership with the Anglican, Catholic,
    Methodist, and Presbyterian churches, among others.
  • The Canadian government was financially responsible for Indian Residential Schools.
  • Indian Residential Schools operated in all Canadian provinces and territories except Prince Edward Island, New
    Brunswick, and Newfoundland.
  • Indian Residential Schools operated in Canada between the 1870s and the 1990s.
  • The last Indian Residential School closed in 1997.
  • Children between the ages of 4-16 attended Indian Residential School.
  • It is estimated that over 150,000 Indian, Inuit, and Métis children attended Indian Residential School.