Reading Plus Success Story - Walatowa High Charter School, NM

Closing the Achievement Gap for Native American Youth

Through a community-integrated experiential learning program, Walatowa High Charter School will prepare students to be academically successful, while promoting cultural awareness, community wellness, leadership, and college and career readiness.

Founded in 2002, Walatowa High Charter School is located on the Pueblo of Jemez Indian Reservation, a rural community about 45 miles northwest of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Walatowa High serves students from the Pueblo of Tsyia, Pueblo of Kewa Tribal communities, and students from the Jemez Valley Corridor of New Mexico. The school focuses on preparing students for academic success, while promoting cultural awareness, community wellness, and leadership. Walatowa offers a challenging pre-college curriculum and places an emphasis on post-secondary education and career readiness.

Nearly all students (98 percent), in grades 9–12, are Native American. Remarkably, this charter high school boasts a graduation rate of 91 percent, compared to a national average graduation rate of 50 percent for Native American students.