Our History

According to Mission to the Navajos, written by Betty Stirling, “In 1941 the church again remembered the Navajos as among those of every ‘kindred, tribe, and nation.’”  The Arizona Conference of Seventh-day Adventists became concerned about doing something for the growing tribes within the conference’s borders.  

A full-time evangelist was hired for the job, Marvin Walter, whose wife, Gwen, was a registered nurse. However, not until 1945 was enough money raised to build a school again. With 320 acres in Holbrook, Arizona, the mission school term started in 1946 with 30 students, one teacher, and two deans. The schoolroom had no desks that year, so the children sat on rugs and sheepskins to recite their lessons.

The third year brought hard times when the Walters had to leave due to illness. The school closed at the end of March, but the conference decided to later re-open it on a trial basis.  Frank Daugherty, Ardell Altman, and Wilfred Rathburn were called to serve at the school.

Throughout the years, the school has continued to grow. Today the campus has an updated education building for the high school, while elementary students still meet in one side of the administration building. The church, although older, allows for a perfect meeting place. The Agriculture program is growing with organically-grown produce served in the cafeteria and sold to staff and community members.  The Equine-Assisted Learning program is a favorite along with the Vocational Arts program that teaches welding, woodworking, and auto mechanics. The Indigenous Arts program involves the students in pottery design, graphic arts, drawing, beading, and weaving.  

The campus of Holbrook Indian School has advanced a long way from a frame multi-use building, a collection of outbuildings, and a windmill, which provided the water supply, towering over the dusty high-desert country. Today, the more modern equipped facilities, with attractive landscaping, meet the students’ needs comfortably and provide a safe and inviting environment. Take a virtual tour of the campus.

Approximately 20 percent of the school’s operating funds are provided by the Pacific Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and 80 percent by gifts from individuals who have a heart for American Indian youth and Christian education. The school is accredited by the North American Division Commission on Accreditation of the Adventist Accreditation Association, Inc. and the Regional Accrediting Agency.