The first state-supported, church-run residential school for Indigenous children in what is now Canada opened in 1831 , when the Mohawk Institute Residential School began operating in Brantford, Ontario.

Quick Scoop

When did the first residential school open?

  • The Mohawk Institute in Brantford, Ontario, is widely recognized as the first Indian Residential School in Canada, opening in 1831.
  • It was initially run by the Anglican Church and later became part of the broader federal residential school system that expanded after the 1880s.
  • Earlier mission schools for Indigenous children existed as far back as the mid‑1600s, but 1831 marks the start of what became the formal residential school model in Canada.

In other words, when people ask “when did the first residential school open,” the historically accepted answer in the Canadian context is 1831 , with the opening of the Mohawk Institute in Brantford.

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