List of Indian Boarding Schools in the United States

The history of Indian boarding schools has been under-researched to the extent that limited efforts have comprehensively looked into the full accounting of both government- and religious-operated institutions established in the United States. Researchers, educators, and policymakers have all requested access to up-to-date information, but have had to make due with what is available. 

In 2020, NABS released a list of 367 Indian boarding schools, which at the time was the largest and most extensive list available to the public. Since then, there have been various efforts by the Department of the Interior (DOI) and religious institutions to identify their involvement in the establishment and operation of Indian boarding schools nationwide. In May 2022, building off of NABS’s research, the DOI identified 408 schools in volume one of its Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report. In May 2023, a list of 87 Catholic-operated schools was released to the public. 

With these coinciding efforts, NABS was able to cross-check its research to establish its most current list of 523 schools. Because of persistent gaps in research, and the lack of funding toward Indian boarding school efforts, NABS sees this research as ongoing and expects the number of schools to rise as more information comes to light.