Havasupai Elementary School

The school in 1899

It had been established by 1895. At one point it was a boarding school.[2] In different periods of history, the federal government directly controlled the school. In other periods, the Havasupai tribe controlled the school.[6] In 1908 its enrollment was 42.[5]

In 1910 there was a flood of Supai which affected the town, including the school.[7] In 1911 The Indian Leader wrote that the facility, post-flood, was "in fine condition."[8]

In the 1930s it was scheduled to be remodeled.[9]

Circa the 1950s the school occupied what later became a library, and at one point in that decade[10] the school stopped operations, with all students in Supai going to boarding school.[6]

The school resumed operations in the 1960s.[6] In 1967 the school served up to grade 2, which meant students in subsequent grades had to go to boarding schools outside of Supai.[11] Martin Goodfriend, who advocated for the Supai people, had suggested that the Havasupai School be extended for more years.[12]

In 1978 it had grades K-6.[13]

In 1988 the school had instruction in both English and the Havasupai language in a bilingual manner, and had instruction in the culture of the Havasupai people.[14]

In 2002 the BIA resumed control of the school, and as of 2017 it has remained in control of the school.[6]

In 2017 Alden Woods of the Arizona Republic wrote that it "stands out as the worst school" in the BIE.[6] Woods cited "a rotation of principals and a regular teacher shortage", the latter which resulted in sporadic weeklong closures,[6] or as the janitor being a substitute teacher, according to a lawsuit filed against the BIE that year.[15] According to the lawsuit, teachers often did not finish the academic year.[16] Woods also cited a lack of a school library, no after-school activities, and the lowest scores in mathematics and English among BIE schools despite only teaching those subjects.[6] The school was intended to also teach the Havasupai language and the culture of the Havasupai tribe, but it did not, according to the lawsuit.[15]

The lawsuit was filed in January 2017.[17] Steven P. Logan, a U.S. district judge, allowed the lawsuit to proceed in March.[18] In the course of the lawsuit, the BIE director, Tony Dearman, had a meeting in Supai with the community.[19] A settlement was agreed upon in October 2020.[20]

In 2018 a group of ex-employees, "Friends of Havasupai Elementary," advocated for making Havasupai Elementary tribally-controlled, or a charter school with tribal backing.[21]

In 2011 it, then still a K-8, had 94 students.[22]

As of 2017 the school had 70 students, with around 35 classified as having special needs. Despite the high number of special needs students, the school offered no special needs services.[15]

As of 2017 about 20% of the students eventually get high school diplomas.[6]

The building has one story.[3]

In 2011, to alleviate overpopulation, the BIE arranged to have a modular classroom airlifted into sections to Havasupai Elementary, where it would be assembled.[22]

While the Havasupai tribe maintains a board for education matters, Woods stated in 2017 that the board lacks "real influence".[3]

In the 1950s the school did not use corporal punishment because the tribe was against the practice.[23]

So teachers can return to non-Supai residences on Fridays, in 2017 the school had early dismissal day on Fridays.[24]

The students were in the third percentile for mathematics and the first percentile for reading during the 2012–2013 school year.[17]

In 2017 Alia Wong of The Atlantic wrote "Students are repeatedly suspended or referred to law enforcement".[15]

In 2017 there were no student or extracurricular clubs at Havasupai Elementary.[24]

As of 1988 students move on to boarding schools, with Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, California being the most common choice.[14] Supai itself lacks a high school.[25]

• Newman, Joanne (2020-10-07). "Native American Students with Disabilities and Denied Their Educational Rights, Reach a Landmark Settlement with the Federal Government, Clearing a Path Toward Greater Equity". Stanford Law School.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Havasupai Elementary School.

• Official website
• Lawsuit - Alternate link

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