The modern public school system in Ontario emerged during the 1840s and was largely created under the direction of Egerton Ryerson, who was the Chief Superintendent of Schoold from 1846 to 1876. He set the course for education that naturally extended to Muskoka in the early 1860s, when the district’s first few pioneer schools came into being.

  Through Ryerson’s efforts, a standard curriculum, facilities for teacher training, supervision of education and the enablement of local three-man boards of trustees to levy school taxes became basic tenets of Ontario’s fledgling school system.

  The basic units of public school administration became the “school sections”, entities that remained in force until July 1, 1965, when they were finally abolished by the government of John Robarts. Ideally, a school section was six concessions wide and 10 lots deep, with the school located in the centre so the walk to school was equidistant for all pupils. It was the area from which the local tax levy would be collected to finance about three-quarters of the capital and operating costs of the school. Provincial grants would provide the remaining funds.

  Every township in Muskoka had its school sections, which were usually established when municipal organization occurred, but could be set up with permission of the chief superintendent, (or Minister from 1876 on) of schools if the territory was unorganized. Before it was all said and done, over 120 school sections were organized in Muskoka and everyone began with a one-room schoolhouse.

  In was in 1871 when the term “public” school was first officially used, and with it came many changes in education. Attendance at school for at least four months became mandatory for eight to 14 years olds, teacher certification became more stringent, new courses of studies beyond the “three essentials” brought the number of subjects taught to 19, and “high” schools with flexible, more practical subject matter were introduced.

  A new Act, passed in 1876, abolished the office of chief superintendent and Adam Crooks became Ontario’s first Minister of Education. Throughout the next few decades the school section system continued, interrupted only by the incorporations of villages of towns, which set up their own “urban” school boards, such as Bracebridge Village in 1875.

  In the meantime Muskoka gained a model school (1885-1908) for training teachers, saw the genesis of its three high schools, and gradually developed a number of continuation schools, after they were permitted in 1896, whereby capable students could be taught their early high school subjects at the local public school if the teacher as adequately qualified.