The school's first students travelled by horse-drawn van and benefited from qualified teachers and an expanded curriculum that included nature study, manual training and domestic science.
More importantly, the population in country schools was declining as students were attracted by the opportunities and glamour offered by city life.
At the same time, farmer's groups throughout North America were calling for equal opportunities for rural and urban children and a curriculum more scaled to the practical needs of farm life.
The movement began in the United States with the passing of an act in New York in 1864, quickly spread throughout New England, and found its greatest success in Ohio, Indiana and Iowa.
In Canada, the earliest attempt at solving the rural school problem occurred late in 1902, Sir William Macdonald, the Montreal tobacco manufacturer and philanthropist, made available to Professor James Robertson, at that time Dominion Agricultural and Dairying Commissioner, a sum of money which was to be used for the introduction of practical work into country schools of Eastern Canada.
The objectives of the "Macdonald Movement" were twofold – to encourage the consolidation of rural schools, and to promote the development of those subjects most compatible with agrarian life, namely nature study, manual training and domestic science.
Supporters at the time hailed the school garden experiment, and one 1905 report described it as a means to "cultivate the sense of ownership and a social spirit of co-operation and mutual respect for one another's rights."
Macdonald agreed to subsidize the schools during the first three years of their existence and it was hoped that after that time, funding would be assumed by either the province or local bodies once the worthiness of the experiment had been demonstrated.
It was clear that regular and increased attendance would be assured, and by conveying pupils in horse-drawn vans children would be less exposed to damp and cold weather.
Although most believed that the results of consolidation were positive, some districts voted to return to the one room schoolhouse, since the expense of transporting children produced an increase in their annual operating costs.
It was built adjacent to the Ontario Agricultural College on a 2 ½ acre site close to Macdonald Institute, which had been a gift from Sir William in 1903.
Design changes made without Sir William's knowledge resulted in a plain building with a utilitarian façade and simple peak-roofed porch over the front entrance.