The first sod for the new St. Philip’s Indian Residential School was turned by Bishop Anderson in August 1932 and, six months later, the school opened with thirteen girls in residence. The Catholic residential school followed three years later (to be closed in 1952).
St. Philip’s School was funded and built entirely by the Diocese of Moosonee and the local mission. It was situated on land leased from the Province of Quebec. Shortly after it opened, the school’s management was transferred to the newly created Diocese of the Arctic. In 1936, responsibility was assumed by the Missionary Society of the Church of England in Canada (MSCC). The school maintained close links with Bishop Horden Memorial School at Moose Factory. St. Philip’s normally took in children from the coastal bands and Bishop Horden School accommodated those from inland bands. Some Inuit children from the eastern Arctic were also enrolled at Fort George, their per capita grants being paid by the government of the Northwest Territories. In 1961, the redefined Diocese of Moosonee once again had jurisdiction over the Fort George School.
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