St. Francis Indian School

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St. Francis Indian School is a K-12 Native American school in St. Francis, South Dakota. It is tribally controlled and is affiliated with the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE).[1]

Lakota people are served by the school.[2]

History[]

In 1886 the school, initially a Christian elementary school of St. Francis Mission meant to serve Native students with English as a second language, was established. It had 200-person boarding facilities, with all students boarding, and had one building, though a second was later added and the boarding facilities filled. A fire destroyed the existing facilities in January 1916. Concrete replacement facilities were built and school resumed in fall 1916. The high school classes began in 1931. It had a peak enrollment of 500 in the 1940s and 1950s. The dormitories were decommissioned in the 1960s after improvements to the roads were implemented. Tribal control came in 1979.[3] Residents had a positive reception to gaining tribal control.[2]

Curriculum[]

In 1986, in addition to English and Lakota, the school had the following foreign languages available: German, Latin, Russian, and Spanish. Some languages classes were only open to high school students.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ "St. Francis Indian School". Bureau of Indian Education. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  2. ^ a b c Holland, Debra (1986-06-29). "St. Francis School is significant part of Lakota life". Rapid City Journal. Rapid City, South Dakota. p. B1. - Clipping from Newspapers.com
  3. ^ Taylor, Kay (1986-06-29). "Catholic ministry nurtures heritage at St. Francis". Rapid City Journal. Rapid City, South Dakota. p. B1. - Clipping from Newspapers.com

External links[]

Coordinates: 43°08′27″N 100°54′03″W / 43.1408°N 100.9007°W / 43.1408; -100.9007


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