Residential schools were government- and church-run institutions where Indigenous children were taken—often forcibly—to be separated from their families, languages, and cultures, and many experienced severe abuse and neglect there. These schools have left deep and lasting trauma that continues to affect Indigenous communities today.

What Happened in Residential Schools?

Quick Scoop

Residential schools in Canada were part of an official policy to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro‑Canadian society. Over about 150 years, at least 150,000 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children were sent to these institutions, where many endured cultural erasure, emotional and physical abuse, and, in far too many cases, never came home.

1. Why Residential Schools Existed

Governments and churches believed Indigenous cultures were “inferior” and set out to “civilize” Indigenous children. This led to a nationwide system of boarding schools designed to remove children from their communities and reshape their identities.

Key points:

  • The system grew out of missionary schools started as early as the 1600s, then formalized in the 1800s.
  • After the Indian Act and later amendments, attendance became compulsory for many Indigenous children, and it was illegal for some to attend other schools.
  • Churches (Anglican, Catholic, and others) operated the schools with federal funding and policy direction.

The explicit goal was often described as taking the “Indian out of the child” through education, religion, and discipline.

2. What Daily Life Was Like

For many children, life in residential schools was harsh, isolating, and deeply traumatic.

Typical experiences reported by survivors include:

  • Forced separation : Children were taken far from home, sometimes by police or officials, making family visits rare or impossible.
  • Loss of language: Speaking Indigenous languages was often forbidden and punished; children were forced to use English or French.
  • Suppression of culture: Traditional ceremonies, clothing, and spiritual practices were banned, mocked, or labelled “savage.”
  • Renaming: Many children received new Christian names and were assigned numbers, further stripping them of identity.
  • Rigid routine: Days were divided between basic classroom teaching and long hours of labour in fields, kitchens, workshops, or laundries, which helped keep the schools running cheaply.

Food, clothing, and medical care were often inadequate, and buildings were frequently overcrowded and poorly maintained.

3. Abuse, Neglect, and Death

This is a difficult but necessary part of understanding what happened. Survivor testimonies, official investigations, and historical records describe:

  • Physical abuse: Beatings, harsh punishments, and severe discipline for small “offences” like speaking Indigenous languages or bedwetting.
  • Emotional abuse: Humiliation, name‑calling, and messages that Indigenous identity, families, and cultures were worthless or sinful.
  • Sexual abuse: Many survivors have reported sexual violence by staff and older students, often covered up or ignored at the time.
  • Neglect: Malnutrition, lack of proper health care, and unsafe conditions contributed to widespread illness.

Thousands of children died due to disease, neglect, accidents, or abuse, and many were buried in unmarked or poorly documented graves near school sites. In recent years, ground searches near former schools have uncovered large numbers of unmarked graves, reigniting public attention and grief.

4. Long-Term Impacts on Communities

The residential school system did not only harm individual children; it disrupted entire Nations.

Some major long-term effects include:

  • Intergenerational trauma : Survivors often left school with deep emotional wounds, which affected parenting, relationships, and community wellbeing.
  • Loss of language and culture: Generations grew up without full access to their languages, ceremonies, and teachings, leading to cultural gaps and urgent efforts at revitalization today.
  • Disconnection from land and identity: Being taken far from home interrupted children’s relationships to their territories and traditional ways of life.
  • Ongoing social impacts: Elevated rates of mental health struggles, substance use, and community-level challenges are linked by many researchers and Indigenous leaders to the legacy of residential schools.

Despite this, Indigenous communities have shown powerful resilience, rebuilding culture, language, and ceremony in the face of systemic harm.

5. Acknowledgment, Apologies, and Recent News

Residential schools began in the 19th century as a formal system and the last federally funded school closed in the 1990s. Since then, survivors have pushed for acknowledgment, truth‑telling, and justice.

Important developments include:

  • Public testimonies: Survivors sharing their stories in hearings, books, and community events.
  • Official apologies: Governments and some churches have issued apologies acknowledging that residential schools were a policy of forced assimilation and caused profound harm.
  • Truth‑seeking: Commissions and research projects have documented the system’s history, survivor experiences, and the children who never returned home.
  • Memorialization: Sites of former schools have been designated and commemorated as part of national historic recognition, emphasizing the need to remember and learn.

In recent years, news about unmarked graves at former school sites has sparked global attention, renewed calls for accountability, and a broader conversation about colonial history and ongoing reconciliation.

6. Different Perspectives and Ongoing Debates

Most Indigenous survivors and communities describe residential schools as instruments of cultural genocide and systemic abuse, not “just” schools. Many non‑Indigenous people, confronted with these histories, are still grappling with what they mean for national identity, education, and policy today.

You’ll see several viewpoints in public discussion:

  • Survivors and families calling for full truth, access to records, searches at all former school sites, and long‑term support services.
  • Indigenous leaders emphasizing that reconciliation must include land rights, cultural revitalization, and real power‑sharing, not only symbolic apologies.
  • Some people who previously saw residential schools as “well‑intentioned but flawed” reassessing that belief as more evidence of systemic abuse and assimilation emerges.

While there can be debate about specific policies or responses, the basic historical record of widespread harm in residential schools is well‑documented.

7. If You’re Learning or Affected Personally

Because this topic involves abuse, loss, and ongoing trauma, it can be very heavy to read about, especially if you or your family are directly connected to these histories. Educational resources recommend approaching the subject with care, grounding, and support if needed.

Some gentle suggestions:

  1. Pause and check in with how you’re feeling; it’s normal to feel sadness, anger, or numbness.
  2. Talk to someone you trust if the information feels overwhelming.
  3. When possible, seek out Indigenous‑led sources that also highlight resilience, culture, and community strength, not only trauma.

TL;DR – What Happened in Residential Schools?

  • Indigenous children were taken—often by force—from their families and communities.
  • They were placed in church‑run, state‑funded institutions meant to erase their languages, cultures, and identities.
  • Many suffered physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, extreme discipline, neglect, and poor living conditions; thousands died and were buried in unmarked or undocumented graves.
  • The legacy includes intergenerational trauma, cultural loss, and ongoing struggles, but also strong movements for truth, justice, and cultural renewal led by Indigenous communities.

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