For many years, residents of this part of Vanier sent their children to schools in Ottawa, notably at St-Charles School on Springfield Street. However, after a strong population increase in the 1920s, the primary school on Springfield Street became increasingly crowded. New temporary classrooms were quickly opened in the church hall of St-Charles on Beechwood Avenue. Families in Clarkstown thereafter began requesting their own local primary school.

Construction of the Genest School started in 1930 and ended in 1932. The school was named after Samuel Genest, the president of the French Catholic School Board from 1913 until 1930 and an important figure in the resistance to Regulation 17 in Ottawa.

Genest School closed its doors at the end of the 1970s. At the time, the school could welcome over 500 students. Subsequently, the building was used as a warehouse and as an administrative office for the Ottawa French Public School Board. Today, the former Genest School houses the Trille des bois school that offers the Steiner Waldorf educational programme.

On the western facade of the former Genest School, a series of murals highlights wise career choices for the students attending the school. Educational and sports activities are depicted to encourage young people to live a healthy lifestyle. The mural was created by Yvan Dutrisac along with the help of local students.