Blue Quills Indian Residential School was situated in two different locations; first at Saddle Lake First Nation from 1898 - 1931 south of Lac la Biche, then near St. Paul from 1935 - 1990 east of Saddle Lake First Nation. The residential school operated from 1898 - 1990 under the Roman Catholic administration.

The school was operated by the Sisters of Charity, Grey Nuns of Montreal, from 1898 - 1931. The Oblates of Mary Immaculate took over the management and operation of the school in 1931. The federal government administered the residential school from 1969 - 1972.

The Blue Quills Native Education Council (BQNEC) assumed the day-to-day management and operations of the residence on February 1, 1971, and took over the operations of the school classrooms on July 1, 1972; thereby, making Blue Quills the first Aboriginally-controlled school in Canada. Today the site is home to University nuhelot’įne thaiyots’į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills,