The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 10% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Tsehootsooi Middle School
Tsehootsooi Middle School sits inside the small, rural census-designated place of Fort Defiance, a historical government and agency settlement within the Navajo Nation roughly four miles north of Window Rock, the Navajo capital. The texture of Fort Defiance is essentially institutional: buildings used by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and the Navajo Nation itself, set around the old fort parade ground from the 1930s. This is not a typical suburban or commercial town. The major employers — the Fort Defiance Indian Hospital, the BIA Fort Defiance Agency office, and Navajo Nation government offices — define daily life. The population has been in slow decline over recent censuses. There is no traditional downtown; the town is more like a campus of government and healthcare facilities.
Within this setting, Tsehootsooi serves only seventh and eighth grades as a regular public school in the Window Rock Unified District. The school district did not have any parent-relevant changes publicly reported in the last several years that meet the bar for a lasting impact, so families should expect a steady administrative context.
The student body is small for a middle school, with an enrollment that is almost entirely American Indian or Alaska Native. A very small number of students are Hispanic. Data on students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, students with disabilities, and English learners was not available. Because the school serves only two grade levels, there is no high school graduation rate to report.
On state assessments, the picture is mixed and uneven. In English language arts, about a quarter of students in both seventh grade and eighth grade scored at the proficient level or above. In math, the results are much lower, with roughly a handful of students reaching proficiency. Science results are also low: about one in ten eighth graders met the proficiency bar. When compared with other districts across Apache County, Tsehootsooi’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint. That relative position should be read against the county’s overall range, where the lowest district is well below this school’s numbers and the highest is far above it. A parent may want to look into how the school supports students who are not yet at grade level in math and science, and what targeted help is available.
Because the enrollment is small and many student subgroups are not reported separately, families would benefit from asking directly about how the school addresses individual learning needs, particularly given the wide gap between the school’s ELA results and its math and science outcomes. The size and composition of the school mean that students here will be learning alongside peers from a shared cultural background, almost entirely within the Navajo Nation.
The broader community context matters. Per capita income in Fort Defiance is very low, and a substantial portion of the population lives below the poverty line. The housing market here is not a conventional suburban one; it is a government and agency settlement, and housing values are not comparable to what families find in most other parts of the state. The nearest commercial and civic infrastructure is in Window Rock, a short drive away. For families considering this school, the academic profile points to a place where many students are still developing foundational skills, especially in math and science. That said, the school’s overall standing within the county is solid relative to its immediate neighbors. This is a school that fits a family looking for a small middle school within the Navajo Nation, in a community defined by tribal and federal institutions, where the peer group is very homogeneous and the academic pathway may require strong supplemental support outside of school hours.
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