Memorial
The National Student Memorial Register was created to forever remember and honour the children who never returned home from residential schools.
The development of this memorial register, and the print form of the memorial, is the result of work by countless people and the advice, guidance and blessings from Survivors, Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
The memorial remembers, honours and acknowledges those children who died while attending a residential school in Canada. This registry represents the first time the names of children that never returned from the schools are commemorated and made available on a national basis in Canada. In recognizing these children, we recognize the pain inflicted on families and communities.
We honour and remember the children taken and the parents left behind. We recognize that every child matters. We mourn the lives lost.
There are additional names of children waiting to be found that are not included within this register. There remains an extensive amount of work to be done to find all the children that never returned home and their burial sites. Please contact the NCTR if you would like to add, remove or change a child’s name in the memorial register.
A National Residential School Crisis Line has also been set up to provide support to former students. This 24-Hour Crisis Line can be accessed at: 1-866-925-4419
Search by Name
View the names of the children who died or went missing from that school.
Search by School
Each residential school page contains a list of students who died or went missing at that school.
Memorial Register
The development of the Memorial Register is the result of over a decade of work by countless people. This register represents another starting place on our collective journey of honouring and remembering the children lost to the residential schools.
Memorial Map
The Memorial Map provides a basic overview of the location of some the most important sites in the residential school children’s histories.
Memorial Book
The National Student Memorial Register Book represents yet another starting place on our collective journey of honouring and remembering the children lost to the residential school system.
Student Memorial Register FAQ
Survivor Support
Accessing and viewing records within the NCTR Archives may be a traumatic experience for Survivors and their families. If at any time you feel the need to speak with someone, a national crisis line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The National Residential School Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419
NCTR’s spirit name – bezhig miigwan, meaning “one feather”.
Bezhig miigwan calls upon us to see each Survivor coming to the NCTR as a single eagle feather and to show those Survivors the same respect and attention an eagle feather deserves. It also teaches we are all in this together — we are all one, connected, and it is vital to work together to achieve reconciliation.