Indicator 2.2: Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Schools

Figure 2.2. Number of Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)-funded school programs, by operational structure: Selected years, 1997-98 to 2003-04

SOURCE: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP), 1999-2000 OIEP School Report Card Summary; and OIEP, Building Exemplary Schools for Tomorrow: 2002 Fingertip Facts and 2004 Fingertip Facts.

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Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools served almost 46,000 American Indian/Alaska Native students in fall 2003.

Some American Indian/Alaska Native students attend schools administered by or affiliated with the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).⁵ Schools funded by the BIA are either operated by the BIA or by tribes under contracts or grants. BIA-operated schools are under the direct auspices of the BIA, and tribally operated schools are run by individual federally recognized tribes with grants or contracts from the BIA. The Office of Indian Education Programs (OIEP) in the Bureau of Indian Affairs oversees the BIA school programs.

In 2003-04, some 184 schools were BIA-funded, and 64 of these were also BIA-operated. The remaining 120 schools were operated by tribes, under BIA contracts or grants (appendix table A-2.2). These schools were located on 63 reservations in 23 states, serving 46,000 students (U.S. Department of the Interior 2004b). In 2002-03, a majority of these schools (69 percent) had 300 or fewer students.

View Table 2.2a

View Table 2.2b

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⁵ There are no BIA schools in Alaska. Most Alaska Native children attend public schools in Alaska.