Fast Facts: Native American Heritage Month (1143)

Native American Heritage Month

Question:
What data do you have on the learning experiences of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students throughout their education careers and the characteristics of AI/AN teachers and faculty?

Response:

Early Childhood Education

In 2021, some 71 percent of AI/AN 3- to 5-year-olds were enrolled in school (source).

K–12 Education

Students

There were 453,000 AI/AN students enrolled in public schools in fall 2021,¹ compared with 547,000 enrolled in fall 2011. AI/AN students comprised about 1 percent of public school students in fall 2021 (source).
In fall 2021, about 32,000 students were enrolled in Bureau of Indian Education schools (source).
In fall 2021, some 42 percent of AI/AN students attended public schools where students of color² 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 2021

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 “non-White 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 2019–20, the adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) was 75 percent for AI/AN public school students.³ The ACGRs for AI/AN students ranged from 53 percent in South Dakota to 93 percent in Alabama and were higher than the U.S. average ACGR (87 percent) in at least 10 states (Alabama,⁴ Tennessee, Kentucky, New Jersey, Indiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri, Connecticut, and Maryland) (source and source).⁵
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 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 teachers were male, and 67 percent were female (source).
In school year 2020–21, some 44 percent of AI/AN public K–12 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).

Postsecondary Education

Students

In fall 2021, 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 43 percent of AI/AN students who began seeking a bachelor’s or equivalent degree at a 4-year institution in fall 2015 received that degree within 150 percent of the normal time (i.e., within 6 years) (source).
In academic year 2020–21, about 3,200 STEM degrees/certificates were awarded to AI/AN postsecondary students (source).
In academic year 2020–21, some 15 percent of bachelor’s degrees conferred to AI/AN students were in a STEM field (source).
In fall 2021, about 13,000 AI/AN students were enrolled in tribally controlled institutions (TCUs), representing 79 percent of all students enrolled in TCUs (source).

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

Faculty

In fall 2021, there were 1,800 full-time AI/AN female faculty members at degree-granting postsecondary institutions, compared with 1,500 AI/AN male faculty members (source).
Collectively, AI/AN individuals made up less than one-half of 1 percent of full-time faculty in fall 2021 (source).⁷

Adult Outcomes

In 2022, some 92 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 Includes imputations for nonreported prekindergarten enrollment in California and Oregon.
² Students of color include those who are Black, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, American Indian/Alaska Native, and of Two or more races.
³ Estimated assuming a count of zero AI/AN students for Hawaii.
⁴ Interpret Alabama data with caution. The Alabama State Department of Education has indicated that their ACGR data for some years were misstated. For more information, please see https://www.oversight.gov/report/ed/calculating-and-reporting-graduation-rates-alabama.
⁵ The ACGR for AI/AN students was 50 percent or higher in the District of Columbia and Vermont. This value has been “blurred” to protect student privacy. 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 is higher than the U.S. average and it has been excluded from this count of 10 states. Because data from Hawaii were unavailable, discussion of ACGRs for AI/AN students excludes Hawaii.
⁶ Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
⁷ Percentage is 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.

Related Tables and Figures: (Listed by Release Date)

Other Resources: (Listed by Release Date)