More than 65 communities within Northeastern Ontario are served by four campuses located in Timmins, Kirkland Lake, Moosonee, and Temiskaming Shores (Haileybury).

The school was founded in 1967 as part of a provincial initiative to create many such institutions to provide career-oriented diploma and certificate courses, as well as continuing education programs to Ontario communities.

The first campus was built in Kirkland Lake, followed by Porcupine (now part of the amalgamated city of Timmins), Haileybury (where the pre-existing Haileybury School of Mines joined as a campus; now part of the amalgamated city of Temiskaming Shores), and Moosonee, previously the James Bay Education Centre.

However, in 2022 Northern's partner Pures College of Technology had 8.6 times as many students as the Timmins campus.

[16] Despite the additional revenue many students without housing were forced to seek emergency shelter through community organizations.

Following a dramatic increase in foreign student enrollment in 2020-21 the most popular programs are now Business, and Computer Engineering Technology.