At the time, Bonneauville was governed by the North-West Territories, as the province of Saskatchewan had yet to be created. There was no legislative act regulating education in the area. Consequently, the school was dependent on ratepayers for funding. Having this burden enabled the residents of Bonneauville, under the North-West Territories Act of 1875, to choose which language the school would teach their children in. Because records were vague during the school's first two years of operation, it is difficult to ascertain which language they learned in. However, it is likely that they learned in French because the majority of residents were francophones in 1888.