The first McDonald Hills School #1646, built of logs, was 10 miles north of Dysart. The logs were hauled from Touchwood Hills in 1906 and contracted for $411 by John McLennan. This school also bore the stamp "NWT" until 1915. It was named after the Hudson's Bay Company factor John McDonald, who became lost in the hills on a trip between Kutawa and Fort Qu'Appelle. The schoolhouse was the nucleus of the community, and meetings, church services, and social events were held regularly. The original school was remodeled in 1911. When the school became part of the Cupar School Unit in 1946, it was sold for $50 and replaced by a new building, which closed in 1960. George Trapp, who taught from 1931 to 1935, became minister of education in the 1960s.