This year, the small school on Utah's sliver of the Navajo Nation failed to make enough progress on tests to meet No Child Left Behind goals. The year before, it did make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under NCLB. In years before that, it did not.

That means now the school has to at least offer students additional tutoring and the chance to transfer to other schools.

School and San Juan School District leaders would love to get off the ride, but they say circumstances make that difficult. The school is in a high-poverty area, and Mexican Hat Principal Aaron Brewer said the school lost several teachers last school year. The school has only about 10 classroom teachers, he said.

"We have a difficulty in being able to retain staff."

The school's location on the reservation means there are few housing options, so some teachers live in district housing. The nearest grocery store is about 30 miles away, said Ron Nielson, K-12 supervisor for the San Juan district.

"You're not going to be able to buy land. You're not going to be able to have a yard and a little garden," Nielson said. "It's going to be very different from what most people are trying to get to in their lives."

Nielson said the district hopes to make staying at Mexican Hat more attractive to teachers by possibly offering incentives or bonuses in the future.

"If we can keep a constant and consistent teaching staff, we will see progress down there," Nielson said.

Brewer looks at this year's AYP results as a chance to improve.

"This gives us an opportunity to redouble our efforts and refocus," he said. "It will ultimately become a strength."

lschencker@sltrib.com