History of Early Kimberley Schools

Introduction of School Districts

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were large school districts in major centres of BC such as Victoria and New Westminster. Schools outside of these centres were rural schools. For the most part, every school would have its own school board. Schools were overseen by the Department of Education and each school would be visited annually by a school Inspector. Assisted schools were subsidized by the Department of Education; the department would pay the salaries and pay for the building and maintenance of schools. Gradually, larger towns formed school districts. As well, there was the organizing of schools within electoral districts for school inspectors which saw Cranbrook as the centre of a district that stretched from Skookumchuck in the north to Curzon (just south of Yahk) in the west, Jaffray and the south country (Grasmere, Roosville ) in the south and east.

However, by the 1940s there were over 700 school districts in BC. The Department of Education began to amalgamate districts. Schools in Kimberley, Marysville, and Meadowbrook were amalgamated into the Kimberley United Rural School District in 1942. In 1946, the province reduced the number of school districts in the province from 650 to 79 and the Wasa area was added to the District forming School District #3 Kimberley. Again in 1996, the Provincial Government began to amalgamate districts to reduce the number of districts. The school districts of Kimberley (SD No.3), Golden (SD No. 18) and Windermere (SD. No. 4) were amalgamated into present day School District No. 6 Rocky Mountain.