In the early days of Dawson, the churches assumed responsibility for educating the children of both the First Nation and the stampeders. At first, the few white children in Dawson attended a private school operated by the Anglican Church. One year later, in 1899, the Catholic Sisters of St. Ann opened a second school. In the same year the Anglican Church erected a log building at Moosehide to serve as both church and school for children of the First Nation.
In 1900 the territorial government funded Dawson's first public school. Constructed in 1901, it served 175 students. Initially only white children were permitted to attend classes. In 1920, mixed-blood students in the region were admitted. Not until 1957, when the government withdrew support for the Moosehide school, were the children of the First Nation permitted to attend the Dawson City public school.
In the same year, fire destroyed that first public school. The Territorial Administration Building (now the Dawson City Museum) became the temporary school until a new building was completed in 1959. This school still stands; now owned by the Westmark Hotel chain, it has been renovated into the guest rooms.
The current Robert Service School, opened in 1989, is located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Queen Street, the site of the community's first public school. It offers classes from kindergarten through grade twelve.
