History - Jimmy Bruneau School

As early as 1938, Chief Jimmy Bruneau was pressing the Government of Canada for a school in Rae. In 1946 a one-room school was built in the community and was expanded to four classrooms in 1957. For most students, attending school in Rae was only a beginning and many had to continue their schooling in residential schools in other communities such as Fort Resolution, Fort Smith and Fort Simpson.

Disturbed by the inability of Tåîchô children and youth to adapt to a life in the bush or even to communicate with their parents after returning from residential school, Chief Jimmy Bruneau continually lobbied the federal Government of Canada for a proper school in the community. In 1969, the Rae-Edzo School Society was formed through an agreement with the Commissioner of the NWT. Rae-Edzo became the first aboriginal community in Canada to take control of their school system.

The Chief Jimmy Bruneau School opened in 1971 as a kindergarten to grade 9 residential school for students from all the Tåîchô communities. At the opening of the new school Chief Jimmy Bruneau was quoted as saying, "I have asked for a school to be built...on my land...and that school will be run by my people, and my people will work at that school and our children will learn both ways, our way and the whitemanís way." In the fall of 1991, the school introduced grade 10 for the first time. Over the next three years the school expanded its high school program and celebrated the first students to graduate from the school in June 1994. Since then the school has had over 250 graduates, many of who have gone on to post secondary education.