Tonalea Day School formerly Red Lake Day School was built in 1958 and opened in 1959 serving Kindergarten through Second grades. Meals were served in a multi-purpose room which doubled as a gym and had a small room in the back which housed the library. This room was constructed to serve 100 students.
In the early 1960s, four classrooms and two restrooms were added onto the existing building. The school began serving Kindergarten through Fifth grades. Meals continued to be served in the multi-purpose room which was not enlarged although the student population nearly doubled.
In the 1985-1986 school year academic building expansion was completed adding on seven (7) classrooms, a media center, a gymnasium with showers, and a teacher's lounge. The multipurpose room now became a dining area; however, no changes were made to accommodate the over 300 student population in Kindergarten through Eighth grades.
Student enrollment is comprised of students from Red Lake/Tonalea, Cowsprings, Road Going Up Hill, Inscription House, and Table Mesa. Four buses transport approximately 138 students from 200 yards to 25 miles daily (one-way).
The academic program consists of English-Language Arts, Mathematics, Writing, Social Studies, Science, Navajo Language and Culture, Life Skills and a Special Education Program. There are extracurricular activities such as Cross Country, Volleyball, Basketball, Wrestling, Softball. and Baseball. The school gathers data from NWEA, Edgenuity, iReady, IXL and the new BIE ELA/Math Assessment.
