The report is the culmination of an investigation ordered in 2021 by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to hold that role in government.

After conducting years of interviews with survivors and their families and examining the records of more than 400 schools, the department concluded that at least 973 children died attending the schools. The report cautions this should not be taken as a definitive count, as there are likely other deaths that were not accounted for.