how many residential schools were in ontario

There were 18 federally recognized Indian Residential Schools in Ontario.

Quick Scoop: How many residential schools were in Ontario?

The core number

• The government of Ontario states that there were 18 Indian Residential Schools in Ontario that are formally recognized in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA).

• These 18 schools are part of the 139 institutions recognized across Canada under the IRSSA.

Important nuance

• The 18 schools are only those federally recognized ; other institutions in Ontario also functioned in similar ways (day schools, hostels, boarding homes, etc.) but may not be counted in this official total.

• Ontario’s own explanation notes that records are incomplete and that the true scope of harm and number of children affected is likely higher than what can be counted from existing documentation.

Context in the wider system

• Nationally, the residential school system operated in every province and territory except New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, with around 150,000 Indigenous children believed to have attended over its history.

• The last recognized Indian Residential School in Ontario closed in 1996 , which is within living memory for many Survivors and families.

Why this still matters “right now”

• Ontario’s materials tie this history directly to ongoing work on truth and reconciliation , support for Survivors, and the continuing efforts to identify children who never returned home.

• National organizations like the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation maintain and update lists of schools and records, highlighting that this history is still being documented and uncovered , not just “finished” history.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.