Newfoundland's school system operates within a Kindergarten to Grade 12 structure. Under the current denominational system, governance of education is shared between Government, through the Department of Education and the major Christian churches, through the Denominational Education Councils. However, based on the recommendations of the 1992 Royal Commission report, Our Children, Our Future, government initiated a plan to restructure the Province's education system by reducing the number of districts and changing the role of churches in the delivery of education.

The passage of Bill 8 in the House of Assembly on July 26, 1996 allowed the restructuring of the administration and organization of the K-12 school system to proceed. These changes permitted Government to establish ten school districts and appoint ten interdenominational School Boards.