79% of Native students in U.S. now graduate high school, smashing a decade-old record

BIE schools post their best numbers ever

Graduation rates at schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education reached 79% in 2025, the highest in the agency’s history.

The Department of the Interior announced the figure in January 2026. A decade ago, that rate sat at just 51%.

The four-point climb from 2024 came even as national student outcomes dropped in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What the BIE actually does

The Bureau of Indian Education is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior. Tribes operate roughly two-thirds of those schools.

The federal government runs the rest. It oversees 183 elementary and secondary schools on or near reservations in 23 states, serving about 46,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students.

BIE also funds two colleges: Haskell Indian Nations University in Kansas and Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico.

Students gained ground in math and reading too

Graduation numbers are not the only thing climbing. Updated school report cards gave tribes and families more visibility into how schools are performing.

Math proficiency rose 9% since 2016, and English language arts proficiency went up 10% over the same stretch. BIE credits modernized data systems that give schools real-time dashboards and reporting tools.

The agency also set up professional learning communities so teachers could review student data together and adjust how they teach.

79% is a record, but it still trails the nation

The record rate is real progress, but a gap remains.

The national average graduation rate is 87%, meaning BIE schools still fall eight points short. BIE’s new Strategic Direction, released in January 2026, sets a goal of reaching 87% by 2030.

American Indian and Alaska Native students across all schools, including public ones, graduate at about 74%, also below the national average.

BIE schools serve a fraction of Native students

The 79% figure covers only BIE-funded schools, which enroll a small share of the total Native American student population of about 440,000.

More than 90% of Native students attend traditional public schools.

Those students face their own challenges, including limited access to culturally responsive curriculum and a shortage of Native teachers.

The record graduation rate is a meaningful milestone, but it reflects a narrow slice of Native education overall.

The GAO has flagged problems for over a decade

The Government Accountability Office has watched BIE closely since 2013, issuing 24 reports and testimonies with 38 recommendations.

In 2017, the agency landed on the GAO’s High-Risk List for being vulnerable to fraud, waste, and mismanagement. As of February 2025, BIE and the Interior Department had acted on 28 of those 38 recommendations.

Ten remain open, covering areas like special education, distance learning, and how schools spend federal funds.

GAO credits two areas, flags three more

The GAO acknowledged that BIE met two of the five criteria needed to come off the High-Risk List: leadership commitment and having a sound action plan.

All recommendations tied to school safety and construction have been fully addressed. But three areas still fall short: staff capacity, monitoring, and showing sustained progress.

A 2024 GAO review found that nearly half of COVID-19 purchase card spending at BIE schools carried an elevated risk of fraud or misuse, and BIE could not show it had looked into any of those transactions.

Federal cuts hit BIE campuses hard in early 2025

Federal workforce reduction orders in February 2025 led to layoffs at BIE-operated institutions.

Haskell Indian Nations University lost about 40 of its 160 employees, roughly a quarter of its staff. Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute lost about 20 of 100 workers.

At Haskell, instructors for more than 30 courses were cut, financial aid was delayed, and custodial staff dropped to three people. According to a lawsuit filed in response, the cuts happened without consulting tribal nations.

Tribes took the federal government to court

In March 2025, three tribal nations and several students filed a federal lawsuit challenging the layoffs.

The Pueblo of Isleta, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, and Cheyenne Arapaho Tribes joined as plaintiffs. The Native American Rights Fund represented them in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit argued the cuts violated the federal government’s trust responsibility to tribal nations. By April 2025, a court-ordered reprieve allowed the rehiring of laid-off workers with back pay.

Some BIE schools show what success looks like

A 2024 WestEd report spotlighted five BIE schools that consistently deliver strong graduation results. These schools put Indigenous identities, histories, and cultures at the center of what they teach.

They also focus on hiring qualified staff, offering multiple forms of academic support, and building close ties with families and tribal communities.

The Santa Fe Indian School, run through self-governance by the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, regularly graduates students at rates above both state and national averages.

BIE sets ambitious targets through 2030

BIE’s 2026 Strategic Direction lays out goals across three areas: student success, cultural identity and language, and wellness. The graduation target is 87%, in line with the current national average.

The plan also calls for 5% annual improvement in English and math, expanded college and career readiness programs, and a 10% cut in chronic absenteeism.

Whether BIE reaches those goals depends largely on resolving the staffing and oversight gaps the GAO has raised for more than a decade.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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