St. Francis Indian School facts for kids

St. Francis Indian School is a special K-12 school located in St. Francis, South Dakota. K-12 means it teaches students from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade. This school is for Native American students, especially those from the Lakota people. It's run by the tribe itself, which is called "tribally controlled," and works with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).

History of St. Francis Indian School

Early Days of the School (1886-1916)

The school first opened its doors in 1886. It started as a Christian elementary school, part of the St. Francis Mission. Its main goal was to help Native students learn English, as it was often their second language.

In the beginning, all 200 students lived at the school in special buildings called "boarding facilities." This meant they lived there full-time, like a boarding school. The school started with one building, and later added another as more students joined.

Rebuilding After the Fire (1916)

Sadly, a big fire destroyed the school buildings in January 1916. But the community quickly worked to rebuild! New buildings made of concrete were constructed, and the school was ready to welcome students back by the fall of 1916.

Growing and Changing (1930s-1970s)

High school classes were added in 1931, allowing students to continue their education beyond elementary grades. In the 1940s and 1950s, the school was very popular, with about 500 students attending. This was its highest number of students ever.

In the 1960s, the roads around the area got much better. This made it easier for students to travel to and from school each day. Because of this, the school stopped using the dormitories where students used to live.

Tribal Control and Modern Era (1979-Present)

A big change happened in 1979 when the tribe took full control of the school. This meant the local Native American community could make all the decisions about how the school was run. People in the area were very happy about this change.

Around 2004, the school started hiring teachers from other countries to make sure they had enough staff for all their classes.

What Students Learn at St. Francis Indian School

Diverse Language Programs (1986)

In 1986, students at St. Francis Indian School had many interesting language choices. Besides learning English and the traditional Lakota language, they could also study other foreign languages. These included German, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. Some of these language classes were only for high school students.