Many of the early students at Intermountain Indian School only spoke Navajo and had to learn the basics of English. (USU Special Collections & Archives, Intermountain Indian School Photograph Collection, P0327, 1:01:06)

Students could study in their dorms or in the library. (USU Special Collections & Archives, Intermountain Indian School Photograph Collection, P0327, 1:01:23)

The Intermountain School students took traditional academic classes like science. (USU Special Collections & Archives, Intermountain Indian School Photograph Collection, P0327, 1:01:21)

Intermountain’s primary function was as a school for the underserved community of the Navajo and later other Native nations. Especially on the huge Navajo reservation, many children did not live close to schools. Some of them attended public schools in towns with non-Native students, but there they often faced prejudice from the teachers and other students.

From the beginning, a primary goal at Intermountain was to teach students English. The teachers also helped students who were behind to catch up and be able to graduate. Though some complained that the schools did not do enough to prepare students for college, there were many students who would not have finished high school without Intermountain.