Canada Residential Schools Map: 139 Locations Documented by the NCTR
This map plots the locations of 139 residential schools across Canada as documented by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). The Indian Residential Schools system operated from 1831 to 1998, spanning every province and territory. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), which concluded in 2015, determined that the system amounted to cultural genocide. This map is intended as an educational resource. The NCTR is the authoritative source for this history and its records.
Residential Schools Map of Canada
Each red marker represents a school location. Click any marker to view the school name, alternate names, location, years of operation, and a direct link to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Use the search box to find a specific school by name or community.
How to Use This Map
Finding a School
Type a school name or community into the search box to filter the markers in real time. For example, searching “Kamloops” will show the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. Searching for “Brandon” will show the Brandon Industrial Institute in Manitoba. Clear the search box to return all 139 locations.
Viewing School Details
Click any red marker to open a popup showing the school’s primary name, any alternate names it was known by, its location, the years it was in operation, its NCTR school ID, and a link to the NCTR website for further information.
Sharing
The page URL updates as you navigate and search, so you can share a link that opens directly to a specific view or search result.
About the Indian Residential Schools System
The Indian Residential Schools system was a network of government-funded, church-administered boarding schools established with the explicit purpose of removing Indigenous children from their families and communities and assimilating them into Euro-Canadian culture. Children were taken from their homes, often by force, forbidden from speaking their languages or practising their cultures, and in many cases subjected to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
The system operated for more than 160 years. The last federally funded residential school, Kivalliq Hall in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, closed in 1997. The Saskatchewan-based Gordon’s Indian Residential School, listed in this dataset under its later operational records, has entries extending to 1998.
In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada published its final report, concluding that the residential school system constituted cultural genocide. The TRC issued 94 Calls to Action addressing the legacy of residential schools and the steps needed toward reconciliation.
About the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation was established at the University of Manitoba in 2015 as the permanent home for all statements, documents, and other materials gathered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The NCTR maintains the official list of recognised residential schools and provides public access to survivor testimonies, historical records, and research resources.
The school location data used in this map is drawn directly from the NCTR’s compiled dataset. For the most current and complete records, visit nctr.ca/map.php.
Geographic Coverage
Residential schools were located in every province and territory of Canada. The highest concentrations were in the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as well as British Columbia and Ontario. Schools also operated in Quebec, the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut, reflecting the breadth of the system’s reach into remote and northern Indigenous communities.
Support for Survivors
If you are a residential school survivor or have been affected by the residential school system, support is available through the National Indian Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419 (available 24 hours a day).
Additional resources are available through the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many residential schools are shown on this map?
The map shows 139 residential school locations as documented by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The NCTR’s list is the recognised authoritative count of federally funded residential schools in Canada.
When did residential schools operate in Canada?
The system operated from as early as 1831, with the last federally funded school closing in 1997. This dataset includes schools with operational records spanning from 1867 to 1998.
Which provinces and territories had residential schools?
Residential schools operated in every province and territory in Canada, including Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.
Where does this data come from?
The school location data is sourced from the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), compiled from the original NCTR web map at nctr.ca/map.php. The NCTR draws its records from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and historical government and church records.
What were the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s findings?
The TRC concluded in 2015 that the Indian Residential Schools system constituted cultural genocide. Its final report included 94 Calls to Action directed at governments, churches, public institutions, and Canadians more broadly to address the ongoing legacy of residential schools and advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
