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Bureau of Indian Education says it serves over 400,000 Native students nationwide

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Evidence from credible sources supports the statement as accurate. Learn more in Methodology.

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Enrollment records or official BIE documentation confirm that BIE programs and services cover more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students nationwide.

Source summary
The Department of the Interior announced that the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) reached a record high graduation rate, rising from 51% in 2015 to 79% in 2025. The BIE reports accompanying gains in academic proficiency (a 9% increase in math and 10% in English language arts since 2016) and credits system-wide reforms — including modernized data systems, professional learning communities, and stronger accountability — for the improvements. Interior officials said the changes support more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students and aim to sustain progress through continued collaboration with tribes, educators, and families.
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Latest fact check

The Bureau of Indian Education and the Department of the Interior explicitly state that BIE "supports educational opportunities for more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students nationwide." BIE materials break that total down (about 40,000 K–12 students in 183 BIE‑funded schools plus roughly 325,000 Native students served through the Johnson O’Malley program, with additional early‑childhood, special education and postsecondary enrollments). Verdict: True — the claim matches official BIE/DOI published figures when counting students served across BIE’s combined direct services and funding programs, not only those enrolled in BIE-operated K–12 schools.

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Timeline

  1. Update · Jan 16, 2026, 12:45 AMTrue
    The Bureau of Indian Education and the Department of the Interior explicitly state that BIE "supports educational opportunities for more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students nationwide." BIE materials break that total down (about 40,000 K–12 students in 183 BIE‑funded schools plus roughly 325,000 Native students served through the Johnson O’Malley program, with additional early‑childhood, special education and postsecondary enrollments). Verdict: True — the claim matches official BIE/DOI published figures when counting students served across BIE’s combined direct services and funding programs, not only those enrolled in BIE-operated K–12 schools.
  2. Update · Jan 16, 2026, 12:30 AMTrue
    The claim that the Bureau of Indian Education serves more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students nationwide is supported by official sources. The Department of the Interior press release states that BIE 'supports educational opportunities for more than 400,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students nationwide,' and the BIE site echoes that figure, noting services across 183 schools and multiple programs. Additional government documentation corroborates the scale of BIE’s student population. Therefore, the statement is accurate as per primary government sources.
  3. Original article · Jan 15, 2026
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