The retreating gunmen, estimated by the military and police to number from 200 to 300, later occupied a Malagakit grade school building, where they sporadically traded shots with troops up to nightfall, said local army spokesman Capt. Arvin Encinas.
Likewise, all of the 31 hostages which included 12 minors and elderly have also been freed unharmed, military officials said.
Eight were killed while 10 others were wounded at the height of the armed clashes between government troops and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on Wednesday, combined reports from the Cotabato Police Provincial Office (CPPO) and the Philippine Army said.
The government-run Malagakit Elementary School was located in Pigcawayan town in North Cotabato Province.
Gapay said the BIFF's threat was not as "serious" as the dangers posed by Maute terror group, who is now battling with the government forces in Marawi City Lanao del Sur.
The attack could be a diversionary tactic to ease pressure on the militants in Marawi, local police commander Chief Inspector Realan Mamon said in a radio interview.
Later, military spokesman Brig. Both Islamist rebels and government security forces with state-backed militias have attacked schools, or have used them as barracks and outposts.
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The rebels were withdrawing to the marshland in Maguindanao when they chanced upon the civilians in Barangay Simsiman, he added.
He said the local police, as of 9 a.m., had yet to receive reports on the number of casualties.
The latest attack took place as government forces continue to wind down operations against Maute fighters in Marawi City.
The 1997 peace agreement between the government and the MILF provides for the observance of global humanitarian laws and respect for internationally recognized human rights instruments.
Pigcawayan town is 190 kilometre south of Marawi city, where the fighting between the Philippine military and IS-linked militant groups, including BIFF, has entered its fifth week since May 23, claiming 370 lives, including at least 62 soldiers and three policemen.
Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesperson of the Joint Task Force Marawi, earlier said numerous outsiders came to Marawi using the cover of an Islamic prayer festival in the city last month.
Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao region to deal with the Marawi crisis.
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