About

Eskasoni School Board creates a positive working environment for staff and stakeholders to work together. The board employs 248 staff members, of which there are 203 L’nu employees (82%) including 64 L’nu teachers (63%). The Board employs four principals, 102 teachers, eight counsellors and 51 teacher assistants and student aides.

All L’nu staff are local community members and many are fluent in the language. Contributing to our success has been the recent hiring of student services employees – Director of Student Services, Curriculum Coordinator, Land Based Coordinator, Restorative Practices facilitators, Student Retention Liaison, language speakers, before and after school program lead and monitors – along with recent board hires of an HR assistant, Post Secondary Finance Officer and Communications Officer. The board has hosted many training opportunities for community members, leading to employment within and beyond our organization.

Student services now offers daily after school programming with sports, tutoring, cultural and recreational activities. We currently serve 1,179 students from kindergarten through grade 12 with an additional 228 students in post-secondary institutions across Canada. Our graduation rates have returned to pre-Covid averages, with a 78%+ graduation rate for 2025 – in June, we celebrated the graduation of 30 students. Site work is underway on our new high school, scheduled to open in September 2026. We were happy to host a land honouring ceremony at the site to foster a positive relationship with the land.

Our History

The Eskasoni School Board was established in 1980 to assume local control of education from the federal government. Before this, federally funded Indian Day Schools operated in the community, offering education from kindergarten to grade six. Students attended junior high and high school outside the community in East Bay. In 1977, construction began on a new school that included space for junior high students. Upon assuming jurisdiction in 1980, the Eskasoni School Board began working toward its strategic goals and the broader vision of Mi’kmaq education. In partnership with Eskasoni Economic Development, the Unama’ki Training and Education Centre (TEC) provided high school diplomas to adult learners, particularly young parents and returning students who needed flexibility.

In 1998, the Eskasoni High School opened at the site now known as Allison Bernard Memorial High School (ABMHS), offering the provincial Grade 12 leaving certificate. That same year, the board also launched the Ksite’taqnk Daycare, staffed by local early childhood educators to support students and board employees with young children. As the number of L’nu teachers grew, a group proposed piloting a Mi’kmaw immersion program. In 2001, the first immersion kindergarten class launched at Eskasoni Elementary and Junior High School. The program gradually expanded to Grade 4, with students transitioning to English instruction in Grade 5. The first immersion cohort graduated in 2014, shining examples of the benefits and success of Mi’kmaw Immersion in education.

To better support the immersion environment, the program moved to its own building in 2015 at the former Unama’ki TEC site. Under the leadership of Principal Ida Denny, the first Mi’kmaw Immersion School, Essissoqnikewey Siawa’sik Kina’matinewo’kuom, affectionately known as ESK, was opened.

Today, the Eskasoni School Board operates across six sites:

Ksite’taqnk Daycare
ESK Mi’kmaw Immersion School
Eskasoni Elementary School
Eskasoni Middle School
Allison Bernard Memorial High School (ABMHS)
Unama’ki Training and Education Centre (TEC)

Construction is currently underway for a new high school building. Guided by our mission, “To promote education and consistently reinforce the Mi’kmaw Language and Culture through lifelong learning for all Mi’kmaq people”, the Eskasoni School Board continues to expand its programs and services in alignment with community needs and values.

Eskasoni Ksite’taqnk Day Care

Nurturing first words and future voices Ages 2+, Toddler & Pre-K

Essissoqnikewey Siawa’sik – L’nuey Kina’matinewo’kuo’m - ESK Immersion School

Rooted in language, thriving in culture Grades K–4

Eskasoni Elementary School

Building strong foundations Grades K–4

Eskasoni Middle School

Guiding growth, inspiring confidence Grades 5–8

Allison Bernard Memorial High School ~ ABMHS

Empowering future leaders Grades 9–12

Unama’ki Training & Education Centre

Unama’ki Training & Education Centre (TEC)

Ta'n L'nuey Etl-mawlukwatmumk -Mi'kmaq Curriculum Development Centre

Ta’n L’nuey Etl-mawlukwatmumk (Mi’kmaq Curriculum Development Centre)

Our Brand Story

We are thrilled that Lynn Gould’s logo design was selected as the winner of our ‘Re-brand Eskasoni School Board’ Contest. Her creative vision and thoughtful design inspired the final logo, which has been professionally refined and proudly represents the Eskasoni School Board.

Lynn shares her thought process behind the design:

The colours chosen hold deep significance in Mi’kmaw culture, symbolizing the four directions, the seasons, and stages of life.

🔴 Red – Represents wisdom

🟡 Yellow – Represents patience

⚪ White – Represents love

⚫ Black – Represents honesty, humility, respect, and truth

The eagle feather incorporates a sacred gift in Mi’kmaw culture, and the book remains to distinguish the School Board and pay homage to the Two-Eyed Seeing approach. This framework, developed by Mi’kmaw Elder Albert Marshall, blends the strengths of Indigenous and Western knowledge systems, and uses these 2 sights together.

The hieroglyphs represent community and education, emphasizing the connection between students, families, and community supporters as essential to student success.

Lynn explained that the rounded composition of the logo was actually inspired by the Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Summer Games logo. She enjoyed playing with shapes, and envisioning how the shape of the logo would work on merchandise and branding materials.

With Lynn’s design as the foundation, the professional refresh maintains her vision while creating a polished look for our School Board’s future.

We’re proud to celebrate Lynn’s creativity and are excited to share this new chapter with our community.