Garneau School is named after Laurent Garneau, a Métis person who fought with Louis Riel in the Red River Resistance of 1870. Garneau came to Edmonton in 1874, where he settled with his wife, Eleanor, on river lot 7. Garneau was a successful entrepreneur.

Named Sherbrooke School from 1949 to 1953. In 1953, it was renamed Prince Charles School in honor of Prince Charles, son of Queen Elizabeth II. The community league adopted the name and petitioned to have the neighborhood renamed to Prince Charles. Additions were added to the school in 1956 and 1957.

As of 7 Sep 2021, Prince Charles School is pending a name change.

The school is named after Thelma Chalifoux, a retired Senator and Métis activist who worked tirelessly on a variety of issues that affected Indigenous Peoples and women. Chalifoux was one of the founders of the Canadian Native Friendship Centre in Slave Lake and she was the first woman to get a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, a Woman of Vision Award, the Monsignor Bill Irwin Award and was the first Indigenous woman appointed to the Canadian Senate.