1st Ave East & Magnan St

The provincial legislature authorized a college for Gravelbourg in December 1917. It was to be a boarding school with its purpose to ensure the survival of the French Canadian inheritance in western Canada. The College promoted classical and technical training in French and by 1924; it had also become affiliated with Ottawa University and offered high school diplomas and Bachelor of Arts degrees.

By 1918, 67 students were enrolled including a number of young boys from the ages of five to thirteen. Four Oblate Nuns of the Scared Heart and Mary Immaculate arrived to look after the upkeep of the college and to teach these younger boys. In 1920, when the main college building was erected over the old church basement, the young boys stayed in the original building (the Jardin Notre Dame).

The College's historic main building was tragically destroyed by fire in 1988; however, the new, modern campus was quickly constructed and ready for operation by 1989. Following the amendment of the Education Act in 1993 to allow for the management of Fransaskois schools by Fransaskois, French education would become much more accessible in francophone communities. The recruitment of young people for the college was affected and College Mathieu began looking at other forms of student recruitment for its programs.

In 2003-2004, an agreement was reached between Collège Mathieu and the Francophone school division for the latter to take over the academic programming of the institution. The following year, the integration was complete when the Francophone school division took possession of the main building to continue French-language education for secondary students. Ecole Mathieu is part of the Conseil des ecoles fransaskoises and offers education in French from preschool to grade 12. 

College Mathieu is now the only French-language post-secondary technical institution in Saskatchewan. Please visit their website to learn more!