Fast Facts: Native American Heritage Month (1143)

Native American Heritage Month

Question:
For Native American Heritage Month 2024, what data do you have on the learning experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN)¹ students throughout their education careers and on the characteristics of AI/AN teachers and faculty?

Response:

Early Childhood

In 2022, some 54 percent of AI/AN 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in school (source).²

Elementary/Secondary Education

Students

Of the 49.6 million preK–12 students enrolled in public elementary and secondary schools in fall 2022, some 449,400 (or 1 percent) were AI/AN students (source).
In fall 2022, some 36,700 preK–12 students were enrolled in Bureau of Indian Education schools (source).
In fall 2021, some 1 percent of K–12 students in private schools were AI/AN (source).
In fall 2022, some 43 percent of AI/AN students attended public schools where students of color³ comprised at least 75 percent of total enrollment (source).
As a percentage of all preK–12 public school students in school year 2022–23, some 19 percent of AI/AN students received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (source).
The average NAEP mathematics assessment score for AI/AN eighth-graders in 2022 (258 points) was not measurably different from the score in 2000 (source). The average NAEP reading assessment score for AI/AN eighth-graders in 2022 (246 points) was not measurably different from the score in 2002 (source).
In school year 2021–22, the 4-year adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) was 74 percent⁴ for AI/AN public school students in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The ACGRs for AI/AN students ranged from 46 percent in South Dakota to 91 percent in Mississippi.⁵ The ACGR was 75 percent for AI/AN public school students in Bureau of Indian Education schools (source).

Adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) for public high school students, by race/ethnicity: School year 2021–22

The data in this figure is described in the surrounding text.

— Not available.
¹ Includes imputed data for New Mexico and Oklahoma.
² Estimated assuming a count of zero American Indian/Alaska Native students for Hawaii.
³ Reporting practices for data on Asian and Pacific Islander students vary by state. Asian/Pacific Islander data in this indicator represent either the value reported by the state for the "Asian/Pacific Islander" group or an aggregation of separate values reported by the state for "Asian" and "Pacific Islander." "Asian/Pacific Islander" includes the "Filipino" group, which only California and Hawaii report separately.
⁴ Due to nonreporting in several states, data for students of Two or more races are not available at the national level.

NOTE: The ACGR is the percentage of public school 9th-graders who graduate within 4 years of starting 9th grade with a regular diploma or, for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, a state-defined alternate high school diploma. The U.S. average ACGR is for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Figures are plotted based on unrounded data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, EDFacts file 150, Data Group 695, and EDFacts file 151, Data Group 696, 2021–22. See Digest of Education Statistics 2023, table 219.46.

The 2019 National Indian Education Study (NIES) surveyed students, teachers, and school principals about the experiences of AI/AN students in grades 4 and 8. This survey includes questions that are focused on AI/AN culture and language.

Most grade 4 AI/AN students reported having at least “a little” knowledge of their AI/AN tribe or group (e.g., their history, traditions, or arts and crafts), with 17 percent reporting knowing “nothing.” Some 23 percent of AI/AN students enrolled in Bureau of Indian Education schools reported having “a lot” of cultural knowledge about their tribe or group (source).
AI/AN students identified family members as the most common sources of cultural knowledge. For example, family members were identified as the people who taught students the most about AI/AN history, with 45 percent of grade 4 students and 60 percent of grade 8 students so reporting. Teachers were the second most commonly identified group of people important for educating students on AI/AN cultural topics (source).
A majority of AI/AN students had teachers who integrated AI/AN culture or history into reading lessons. Overall, 89 percent of grade 4 students and 76 percent of grade 8 students had teachers who reported using these concepts in reading lessons “at least once a year” or more (source).

Teachers and Principals

In school year 2020–21, some 0.4 percent of all public K–12 school teachers and 0.2 percent of all private K–12 school teachers were AI/AN (source).
In school year 2020–21, some 33 percent of AI/AN public K–12 school teachers were male, and 67 percent were female (source).
In school year 2020–21, some 44 percent of AI/AN public K–12 school teachers held a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree earned, compared with 42 percent of AI/AN teachers who held a master’s degree (source).
In school year 2020–21, some 0.6 percent of all public K–12 school principals and 0.8⁶ percent of all private K–12 school principals were AI/AN (source).

Parents, Family, and School Involvement

In school year 2022–23, the parents⁷ of 59 percent of AI/AN K–12 students reported being “very satisfied” with their child’s school (source).
In school year 2022–23, the parents of 70 percent of AI/AN K–12 students reported that they or another household member attended a general school or Parent Teacher Organization (PTO)/Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting (source).
In school year 2022–23, according to parents, 61 percent of AI/AN students attended a community, religious, or ethnic event with their family in the past month (source).

Postsecondary Education

Students

In fall 2022, there were 121,100 AI/AN students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions. One percent of U.S. resident students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions were AI/AN (source).
Some 44 percent of AI/AN students who began seeking a bachelor’s degree full time at a 4-year institution in fall 2016 completed that degree at the same institution within 6 years (i.e., by 2022) (source).
In academic year 2021–22, postsecondary institutions awarded 3,000 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) degrees/certificates to AI/AN students (source).
In academic year 2021–22, some 14 percent of bachelor’s degrees conferred to AI/AN students were in a STEM field (source).

Percentage of bachelor’s degrees conferred by degree-granting postsecondary institutions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, by race/ethnicity and U.S. nonresident status: Academic year 2021–22

The data in this figure is described in the surrounding text.

NOTE: Data are for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. STEM fields include biological and biomedical sciences, computer and information sciences, engineering and engineering technologies, mathematics and statistics, and physical sciences and science technologies. Data are for postsecondary institutions participating in Title IV federal financial aid programs and U.S. service academies. Data in this figure are based on the 2020 Classification of Instructional Programs. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Race/ethnicity categories exclude U.S. nonresidents. Figures are plotted based on unrounded data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Completions component, Fall 2022 (provisional data). See Digest of Education Statistics 2023, tables 318.45 and 322.30.

In fall 2022, some 13,500 AI/AN students were enrolled in degree-granting tribally controlled institutions (TCUs), representing 78 percent of all students enrolled in TCUs (source).

The data in this figure is described in the surrounding text.

Faculty

In fall 2022, there were 1,800 full-time AI/AN female faculty members at degree-granting postsecondary institutions, compared with 1,600 full-time AI/AN male faculty members (source).
In fall 2022, AI/AN female faculty made up 0.2 percent of full-time faculty and AI/AN male faculty made up 0.2 percent of full-time faculty at degree-granting postsecondary institutions (source).⁸

Adult Outcomes

In 2023, some 89 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds who were AI/AN had completed at least high school (source).

The data in this figure is described in the surrounding text.

¹ Unless otherwise noted, the AI/AN category excludes persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

² Unless otherwise noted, statistics in this Fast Fact are for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

³ Students of color include those who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and of Two or more races.

⁴ Estimated assuming a count of zero AI/AN students for Hawaii.

⁵ Because data from Hawaii, New Mexico, and Oklahoma were unavailable, discussion of ACGRs for AI/AN students excludes these states. The ACGR for AI/AN students was 80 percent or higher in West Virginia. This value has been “blurred” to protect student privacy. Therefore, it is not possible to determine whether the ACGR in West Virginia was higher than in Mississippi.

⁶ Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.

⁷ Throughout this section, parent refers to the parent or guardian who responded to the survey.

⁸ Percentages are based on full-time faculty whose race/ethnicity was known. Race/ethnicity was not collected for faculty who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

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