The curriculum focused on literacy and vocational skills, with field work components on farms or railroads for boys and as domestic help for girls.

In the 1930s, as the philosophy around Indian education changed, the school shifted away from the military approach and offered more training in traditional crafts like pottery, weaving, and silversmithing.

The school opened in 1881 in an adobe hacienda in Duranes, a village just north of Albuquerque which was later absorbed by the city.

It was operated by the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions under contract to the Department of the Interior and had an initial enrollment of 40.

[6] The BIA agreed to the move after 22 students had to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning due to a faulty furnace in early 1981.

[7] The merger into Santa Fe Indian School was completed later in the year and AIS ceased to exist as an independent entity.

Jonathan Sims' investigation was prompted by the recent discoveries of multiple mass graves associated with historical sites of residential schools in Canada.

A later article, according to Sims, "claimed the city and AIS agreed to seed and plant trees in the area to not draw attention to the site."

[14] The AIS campus occupied a 45-acre (18 ha) site near 12th Street and Indian School Road in the Near North Valley neighborhood.

In 1887, the student body was 77% Pueblo, 5% Navajo, and 18% from other groups including Mescalero Apache, Tohono Oʼodham, and Pima.

[23][24] Atrisco Heritage Academy HS, Kirtland Air Force Base, and National Museum of Nuclear Science & History are adjacent to but outside of the city limits.Rio Grande HS and Sandia Peak Tramway are near but not in the city limits.