Farmington Schools to Build Traditional Navajo Hogan at Tibbetts Middle School

Farmington Municipal Schools announced plans to construct a traditional Navajo hogan on the campus of Tibbetts Middle School, creating what the district describes as a hands-on educational space where students will learn about Navajo traditions, values, and worldview.

The project carries particular weight in a district where the student body is roughly one-third Native American, one-third Hispanic, and one-third Caucasian, drawn from communities across the Four Corners area including families from surrounding Navajo, Apache, and Ute reservations. The district operates 20 schools across Farmington, a city of approximately 45,000 that has served as a regional commercial hub since its incorporation in 1901.

According to the University of New Mexico Libraries Tony Hillerman portal, a hogan is one of several traditional Navajo structures that have ceremonial significance. The structure has long been central to Diné life and identity, making its placement on a middle school campus a deliberate choice to move cultural instruction beyond the classroom and into built form.

Farmington Municipal Schools said it is partnering with educators from Native American programs and cultural experts to ensure the project is "authentic, respectful, and educationally impactful." The district did not release names of the specific partners involved, and no construction timeline, cost estimate, or funding source has been publicly disclosed.

The hogan announcement fits within a broader pattern of Native education investment at FMS. District policy documents outline ongoing tribal consultations and a commitment to supporting Navajo bilingual classrooms and Youth Advisors, with the district citing federal Indian Education frameworks in its planning. Last November, the district marked Native American Month across its schools, with students from Ms. Davonne Teri John's class at Apache Elementary School and from Animas Elementary School participating in Native American Week activities that included the "Roc Your Mocs" event.

Key details about the Tibbetts hogan project remain outstanding: the district has not confirmed which tribal governments or councils have been consulted specifically about this structure, whether the hogan will be used for ceremonies or strictly for academic programming, or how it will be integrated into existing curriculum. Design details, permitting status, and whether the structure will be accessible outside school hours are also unconfirmed.

The district can be reached at (505) 324-9840 or at its offices at 3401 E. 30th Street in Farmington.