History of KiHS
Keewaytinook Internet High School, commonly known as KiHS, began in 1999 at the request of Keewaytinook Okimakanak, the Northern Chiefs Tribal Council. The Chiefs of KO were responding to the voices of parents, students, and communities who wanted young people to have access to secondary education without having to leave their home communities.
KiHS began as a pilot project for Grade 9 students. In its early years, the program offered a small number of junior-level courses to a limited number of communities. Since then, KiHS has grown into an Ontario-inspected secondary school that supports students across a network of northern First Nation communities.
For more than 25 years, KiHS has provided students with the opportunity to work toward their Ontario Secondary School Diploma while remaining connected to their families, communities, languages, cultures, and lands. This community-based model continues to be at the heart of KiHS.
Each KiHS classroom is supported by an Ontario Certified Teacher who works directly with students in their home community. Through a combination of online course delivery, in-person classroom support, individualized guidance, and strong community relationships, KiHS helps students access secondary school programming in a way that reflects the realities and strengths of northern Indigenous communities.
KiHS offers courses from Grade 9 to Grade 12 across a range of subject areas, including English, mathematics, science, Indigenous languages, the arts, technology, business, cooperative education, health and physical education, humanities, and Canadian and World Studies. Students can access courses connected to a variety of pathways, including workplace, college, university, open, locally developed, and cooperative education programming.
During the 2025–2026 school year, KiHS proudly celebrated its 25th anniversary. That same year, KiHS celebrated 64 graduates, marking an important milestone for students, families, staff, and communities across the KiHS network.
Looking Ahead
KiHS continues to move forward by developing programs, courses, supports, and pathways that respond to the needs of the students and communities we serve. This includes continued attention to academic programming, special education support, mature student pathways, student well-being, graduation planning, and transitions to employment, training, college, university, and community leadership opportunities.
KiHS is more than an online school. It is a community-based secondary school model that brings education directly into northern First Nation communities. Our teachers and staff work with students every day, helping them build confidence, earn credits, complete their Ontario Secondary School Diploma, and prepare for the opportunities ahead.
As KiHS looks to the future, we remain committed to supporting student success while honouring the importance of community, culture, language, identity, and connection to home.
For more information about KiHS, how to take courses, or how to host a KiHS classroom in your community, please contact the KiHS office or visit one of our community classrooms.