Nevada's Pyramid Lake High School in Nixon is part of a nationwide trend that saw the graduation rate rise among Native American students.

In 2025, the federal Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) saw a record high 79 percent of seniors graduate at schools it runs. Over 50 percent more than 10 years earlier, according to a recent report. 

Pyramid Lake High School experienced a 50 percent increase in graduation rates between 2019 and 2025. With a population of 305, Nixon is located in Washoe County and is the seat of tribal government of the Paiute Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation.

BIE schools in states such as Arizona, Iowa and South Dakota have posted increases of 100 percent or more following updated data collection. These types of schools typically serve small student populations, meaning even moderate changes in the number of graduates can create a large percentage increase. 

Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Billy Kirkland says the surge in graduation rates reflects the Trump administration's commitment to Native American students, including efforts to strengthen teacher training. In addition, the way graduation rates are reported across BIE schools was changed to address what the Trump administration called flawed data collection methods that previously depressed the numbers.

The agency oversees 183 primary and secondary schools and serves more than 40,000 students across the country.

Some BIE educators attribute the increase in graduation rates to local innovations, including a maintained virtual learning option for all students that was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, certain schools launching career and technical curriculums in 2020 and hands-on job training courses.

During his senior year of high school on the Puyallup Reservation near Tacoma, Washington, Gerald Dillon traded much of his academic coursework for career training. When he walked into the second grade classroom where he worked as a teaching assistant, students would rush from their seats for a fist bump or a hug.

The 18-year-old, who once found classes boring and put in only enough effort to pass, found renewed purpose to come to school every day.

"It motivates me. I like making connections with the kids, I like helping them," Dillon said.

Administrators at the school say a shift in focus to technical training and career readiness is paying off, with more students not only staying in school but graduating on time. Schools such as Chief Leschi Schools in the Puyallup Reservation in Washington give students the opportunity to focus more on their future careers and encourage them to continue to higher education.

Nevada has helped these efforts through a scholarship program that waives college costs for Native American students. Though costs have risen, it's serving nearly 700 students as of the most recent school year, compared to about 170 when it was established in 2021.

Don Brummett, superintendent of Chief Leschi Schools, said his staff has been working to correct a "disconnect" between the high school's previous laser focus on getting students ready for college and many students' goals of finding a job upon graduation.

"We devalued the trades. That was a mistake," Brummett said.

While the improvements have been a huge change for Native education, tribal elders believe more can be done. During a February 2026 meeting with the Department of Education and the Office of Indian Education, Aaron Payment, tribal chairperson of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, spoke about how he felt the Native communities are being treated unfairly.

"The Department of Ed has not served us. Ninety-three percent of our kids go to public schools. They're not adequately served. We still have the highest high school graduation dropout rate, and even though we've had improvement… the disparity between Natives and the general public is the same today as it was in 1969."

Native American leaders and education advocates said they feel that the Trump administration has proposed major shifts in how Native education programs are administered. In March 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education and return education authority to the states. Advocates for Native students worry that these changes could disrupt the educational system built for these students, and the students' academic progress.

Even as graduation rates increase, educators and tribal leaders are still being cautious with the changes going on with the American education system. In November 2025, the Department of Education began handing off oversight of dozens of programs that serve Native students to BIE. For educators and tribal leaders, the challenge is to ensure this new progress isn't temporary but the start of closing gaps between Native students and their education.