# Operation of Indian Education Programs

**Agency:** Interior  
**Account:** Operation of Indian Education Programs  
**Source document:** Bureau of Indian Education · p. 21  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/budget/interior/operation-of-indian-education-programs  

> **Trust:** parsed from the agency Congressional Justification. Approximate, **not summable**, verify at the cited page.

## Funding ($M)

| Fiscal year | Basis | Amount |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FY2026 | enacted | 1,131.6 |
| FY2027 | request | 894.4 |

## Interior discretionary budget authority (OMB PBDB — authoritative)

FY2027 $18.80B, FY2026 $17.30B. This is the agency total, not a sum of the parsed lines.


## What this funds

For expenses necessary for the operation of Indian education programs, as authorized by law, including the Snyder Act of November 2, 1921, as amended (25 U.S.C. 13), the Indian Self-Determination and Provided, That federally recognized Indian tribes and tribal organizations of federally recognized Indian tribes may use their tribal priority allocations for unmet welfare assistance costs: Provided further, That not to exceed $719,888,000 for school operations costs of Bureau-funded schools and other education programs shall become available on June 1, 2027, and shall remain available until September 30, 2028: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, including but not limited to 25 U.S.C. 5301 et seq. and section 1128 of the Education Amendments of 1978, Public Law 95-561, as amended school operations shall be available for administrative cost grants associated with grants approved prior to June 1, 2027: Provided further, That in order to enhance the safety of Bureau field employees, the Bureau may use funds to purchase uniforms or other identifying articles of clothing for personnel. Elementary and Secondary Programs (forward funded) Activity: Elementary and Secondary Programs (forward funded) The ISEP formula funds serve as the primary funding source for educational programs at BIE-funded elementary and secondary schools. These funds are the single most significant component of BIE funding and are provided directly to schools. Funds cover most of the costs of running elementary and secondary education programs, including teacher and administrative salaries, basic instruction, gifted and talented programs, residential programs, food services, and summer programs. In School Year (SY) 2026-2027, this funding will serve approximately 40,000 students at BIE schools and The ISEP distribution is based on the number of students attending school and their academic needs. In calculating ISEP funding, BIE first determines a school's Average Daily Membership (ADM). The ADM is based on the attendance of students during the entire year. The ADM is adjusted for the special academic needs of students, as well as for other purposes, in order to arrive at a Weighted Student Unit (WSU). The distribution of ISEP funding is based on the number of WSUs at each school. The ISEP formula provides additional funding for schools with residential programs. Please see the table on ISEP Formula Funding methodology in this chapter. The proposed level of funding for SY 2027 - 2028 is projected to provide an estimated $8,363 per WSU. In SY 2025-2026, the most recent year with funds distribution data, the majority of funding, 7.4 percent of the total is used for language development programs and $11.3 million or 2.4 percent of the total supports programs for gifted and talented students. An additional $51.2 million or 10.7 percent is expended on residential and dormitory costs, with the remaining funding allocated for small ISEP Funding and Weighted Student Units by Program1 1 Totals as displayed may not add due to rounding. 2 Funding per WSU based on annual appropriations minus one percent of the total ISEP funding for contingencies as The formula for ISEP funding distribution is driven by the student count at a school for the entire school year, referred to as the Average Daily Membership (ADM), and a Weighted Student Unit (WSU) for each school. The WSU is calculated by weighting ADM for each school to account for the school's requirement for special services including basic education, language development, gifted and talented programs, and residential requirements. There


**Where it sits:** Civilian / Non-Defense › Interior › Bureau of Indian Education › Operation of Indian Education Programs


*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. government. Civilian line dollars are parsed from agency Congressional Justifications and are approximate.*