Public schools on the Crow Reservation in Montana have seen a decline in student enrollment as parents send their children off the reservation.

Most older members of the Crow Tribe went to school on the reservation. But at the schools in Lodge Grass, enrollment has dropped 36 percent in seven years.

Crow parents say they are looking for the best quality education for their children. They are finding it off the reservation in Hardin, where Indian student enrollment has grown by 15 percentage points in seven years.

Budget cuts at Lodge Grass and enrollment policy at Hardin contributed to the shift. Parents also say there is no longer a stigma attached to off-reservation schools.

Get the Story:
On the Reservation and Off, Schools See a Changing Tide (The New York Times 5/25)
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