YK1 85 Year History

First elected in 1939, a provisional school board was charged with the task of providing a school and education for the children of local parents, most of whom were associated with the first gold mines in the area. 

District No. 1 was formally established on October 1, 1939, under Section 33 of the School Ordinance, NWT. The current Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) emerged much later and provided for the continuation of the existing Yellowknife Education District as a Board of Education under provisions of the Education Act. 

Miss Mildred Hall opened the doors of the first Yellowknife Public School to 21 eager children in September 1939. This log cabin building, 16 feet by 16 feet, was rented at a cost of $35.00 per month. Previously the cabin had served as a bunkhouse and kitchen for a local mining company. Miss Mildred Hall lived in the smaller room of the cabin.  The larger room was still tight quarters so children had to attend school in shifts.  Grades 1 to 5 in the morning and the higher grades in the afternoon.

On February 21, 2001, the Heritage Committee of the City of Yellowknife commemorated the log schoolhouse with a ceremony to lay a plaque at the cabin. The log cabin school house was later relocated to Franklin Avenue.  The schoolhouse was refurbished and is now an official Yellowknife Heritage Site. Mildred Hall, the first YK1 teacher, would be amazed at the incredible "schoolhouses" of today in Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (YK1)! Schools operating in YK1 range in size from approximately 30 students in Kaw Tay Whee, the community school of Dettah, to over 700 students at YK1's École Sir John Franklin High School. The district employs over 250 dedicated staff whose expertise and commitment to education make a difference in the lives of over 2,100 students! Together, this YK1 team works to ensure a brighter future for all students, staff, parents and community members. Always striving to provide cutting-edge educational services and opportunities for students, YK1 is committed to the words of its motto... educating for life!

Miss Mildred Hall, FIrst teacher for YK1 outside the log cabin school house now located beside the District office.	The first students at École William McDonald Middle School - 1947-1948 School Year