California Assemblymember James Ramos has introduced AB 1581 to require schools to collect tribal affiliations of Native American students, aiming to fix a severe undercount. - Current data shows only 24,130 Native American students, but estimates suggest over 180,000.
- The undercount leads to lost funding for Indigenous programs and inaccurate academic tracking. - The bill would also recognize students from Indigenous communities in Mexico and Central America.
Accurate data could help schools provide better services and improve academic success for Native American students.