Fast Facts: Native American Heritage Month (1143)

Native American Heritage Month

Question:
For Native American Heritage Month 2022, what data do you have on the learning experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students throughout their education careers and on the characteristics of American Indian/Alaska Native education staff?

Response:

Early Childhood Education

In 2020, some 55 percent of AI/AN 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in school (source).

K–12 Education

Students

There were 459,000 AI/AN students enrolled in public schools in fall 2020, compared with 505,000 enrolled in fall 1995. AI/AN students comprised about 1 percent of public school students in fall 2020 (source).
In fall 2020, about 35,000 AI/AN students were enrolled in Bureau of Indian Education schools (source).
In 2019, some 83 percent of AI/AN 3- to 18-year-olds had home internet access (source).

Percentage of 3- to 18-year-olds who had home internet access, by child’s race/ethnicity: 2019

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

NOTE: Includes only 3- to 18-year-olds living in households (respondents living in group quarters such as shelters, healthcare facilities, or correctional facilities were not asked about internet access). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity.

In fall 2019, some 40 percent of AI/AN students attended public schools where students of color comprised at least 75 percent of total enrollment (source).

Percentage distribution of public elementary and secondary school students, by student's race/ethnicity and percentage of students of color enrolled in the school: Fall 2019

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

NOTE: Data are for the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The term “students of color” is being used synonymously with “minority students” in Digest table 216.50. Students of color include those who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and of Two or more races. Data reflect racial/ethnic data reported by schools. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.

In school year 2018–19, the adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) was 74 percent for AI/AN public school students. The ACGRs for AI/AN students ranged from 51 percent in Minnesota to 94 percent in Alabama and were higher than the U.S. average ACGR (86 percent) in eight states (Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, Tennessee, Connecticut, New Jersey, Alabama, and Kentucky) (source and source).
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).

The NIES was administered as part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. For the NIES, students at grades 4 and 8 were assessed in both reading and mathematics.

At grade 4, the average reading and mathematics scores were higher in 2019 than in 2007 and 2009 for AI/AN students attending Bureau of Indian Education schools (source).
At grade 8, the average reading scores were higher in 2019 than in 2007 and 2009 for AI/AN students attending Bureau of Indian Education schools, and the average mathematics scores were higher in 2019 than in 2007 (source).

Teachers and Principals

In 2017–18, some 39 percent of AI/AN public and private school teachers taught in rural schools, compared with 18 percent who taught in city schools (source).
In 2017–18, some 50 percent of AI/AN public and private school teachers taught in schools in the South, compared with 32 percent who taught in schools in the West (source).
In 2017–18, some 23 percent of AI/AN public and private school teachers were male, and 77 percent were female (source).
In 2017–18, some 49 percent of AI/AN public and private school teachers held a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree earned, compared with 35 percent of AI/AN teachers who held a master’s degree (source).
In 2017–18, some 21 percent of public school principals working in schools where AI/AN students made up more than 50 percent of total enrollment were AI/AN (source).

Postsecondary Education

Students

In fall 2020, there were 121,000 AI/AN students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions. About 1 percent of U.S. resident students enrolled in degree-granting postsecondary institutions were AI/AN (source).
Some 41 percent of AI/AN students who began seeking a bachelor’s degree full time at a 4-year institution in fall 2014 completed that degree at the same institution within 6 years (i.e., by 2020) (source).
In academic year 2019–20, about 3,000 STEM degrees/certificates were awarded to AI/AN postsecondary students (source).
In academic year 2019–20, some 14 percent of bachelor’s degrees conferred to AI/AN students were in a STEM field (source).
In fall 2020, about 12,200 AI/AN students were enrolled in tribally controlled institutions (TCUs), representing 80 percent of all students enrolled in TCUs (source).

Faculty

In fall 2020, there were 1,764 full-time AI/AN female faculty members at degree-granting postsecondary institutions, compared with 1,502 AI/AN male faculty members (source).
Collectively, AI/AN individuals made up less than 1 percent of full-time faculty (source).

Adult Outcomes

In 2021, some 93 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds who were AI/AN had completed at least high school (source).

Related Tables and Figures: (Listed by Release Date)

Other Resources: (Listed by Release Date)