In 1980, a group of concerned citizens began to look at Indigenous education in the City of Edmonton and discovered that some 80% of Indigenous children did not complete high school. Their solution was to establish a school where Indigenous children felt accepted, culturally comfortable and thus encouraged to remain in school and complete their grade twelve. With the collaboration of the Catholic School Board, the Ben Calf Robe Society school was created.
Our fundamental beliefs reflect those of our namesake, Ben Calf Robe. He was a Blackfoot Elder and residential school survivor, who worked to bridge the gap between the non-Indigenous population and the Indigenous people.