The reported proficiency rate for English language arts is 24%.
Original Research by School Decision on Dzit Dit Lool School of Empowerment Action and Perseverance
DZIT DIT LOOL School of Empowerment, Action and Perseverance, known as DEAP, is a charter school serving grades six through twelve in Navajo, New Mexico. It sits on the Navajo Nation in McKinley County, a remote, rural census-designated place with very limited commercial infrastructure and no traditional downtown. The community is overwhelmingly Native American, predominantly of Navajo ancestry, and the school's enrollment reflects that: nearly all students identify as American Indian or Alaska Native. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school is small even by charter standards, with a enrollment spread across seven grade levels that keeps individual grade cohorts tiny.
The school's academic footprint is defined as much by what is available as by what is not. State assessment results from the most recent cycle show an English language arts proficiency rate that sits below the state midpoint, based on a very small tested group in the middle grades. Math proficiency was suppressed for privacy reasons given the small number of test-takers, and science results were suppressed as well. No average scale scores were reported. The small testing cohort makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school, since suppressed results in a tiny school often reflect the nature of small enrollment rather than a definitive statement about academic quality. We found no graduation rate data, no civil-rights reporting, no staffing figures, and no attendance or discipline data in the available materials, so those dimensions cannot be characterized here. Information on individualized education programs and English learner status was also missing.
What sets DEAP apart is its educational model. According to publicly reported materials from the New Mexico Public Education Department and the school's own framework, the core program is a Land Based Learning curriculum that integrates hands-on work with local farms, Diné cultural revitalization, STEAM career pathways, food security, agriculture, and community wellness. The curriculum is organized around four focus areas: land-based learning, Diné empowerment through cultural revitalization and relevancy, wellness and perseverance, and service learning for community action and leadership. This is a school built around place and identity, designed for students whose education is meant to connect to the land and community around them. For families on the Navajo Nation seeking a school that centers Diné culture and practical, land-rooted learning, this model is distinctive and intentional.
The charter operates under a contract term running from 2020 through 2025, with a renewal packet submitted to the New Mexico Public Education Commission. For a single-school charter district, charter renewal functions as the equivalent of a district referendum, determining whether the school continues to operate and under what conditions. This is worth tracking for any family considering enrollment, since the school's future depends on that process.
Navajo itself is a dispersed rural community in a high-desert valley along Black Creek, with the Chuska Mountains to the east. It is connected by Navajo Routes 12 and 31 to nearby communities, with Fort Defiance, Arizona a short drive south and Crystal to the north. There is no walkable downtown, no public transit, and no specific data on parks or libraries within the community. Population figures have fluctuated over recent census cycles, but no major housing developments or growth projects were found in publicly reported sources. We looked for housing values and rents and found nothing available for this community, so those cannot be described. Major employer data was also absent, though publicly reported sources note that tribal government, Bureau of Indian Education schools, and health facilities are common employers in Navajo Nation communities, this was not confirmed for Navajo specifically.
DEAP is a school with a clear cultural and educational mission serving a small, close-knit student body in a remote setting. Its academic data is thin and partly suppressed, its operational future is tied to charter renewal, and the surrounding community offers limited commercial or civic infrastructure. What it offers is a curriculum rooted in Diné culture and land-based learning that few schools in the state can match. Families weighing this school should ask the administration directly about assessment trends, graduation outcomes, and staffing, since the publicly available data does not answer those questions on its own.
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