St. Joseph's Indian School

Children attending St. Joseph’s benefit from individualized care plans that follow nationally approved and accredited techniques.

Children in elementary grades one through eight attend classes at St. Joseph’s Elementary School on campus. Children benefit from small class sizes (approximately 12 students per classroom) and one-on-one attention.

After eighth grade, students can enroll in St. Joseph’s High School Program. With capacity to care for 50 Lakota (Sioux) high school students, St. Joseph’s partners with Chamberlain High School to give our students a multitude of opportunities to participate in sports, fine arts and extra-curricular activities.

Preserving and sharing the Lakota (Sioux) culture is a core part of our mission at St. Joseph's Indian School. In addition to Native American Studies classes for students and our annual powwow, the Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center is located on campus for students and visitors alike to broaden their knowledge of the Sioux culture, more specifically known by their dialects — Lakota, Dakota and Nakota.

St. Joseph’s Indian School’s Health Center, located on St. Joseph’s campus, is open daily and has ‘on-call’ nurse availability after hours and on weekends. Physician Assistants are available each morning during the week to see to the needs of our students and staff members.

Summer Day Camp: At. St. Joseph’s Rising Eagle Day Camp, Lakota children from the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Indian Reservations take part in cultural arts and crafts, eat nutritious meals and thrive in a setting where kids can just be kids!

Bookmobile: Each summer, St. Joseph’s Bookmobile travels nearly 2,000 miles across South Dakota reservation communities to distribute free reading materials to children and families in need.

Women’s Shelter: Native American women are among the most abused — physically and sexually — demographic in the United States. Our center provides abused women and children on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation hope, safety and support in times of great need.

St. Joseph’s Thrift Store: In addition to monetary gifts, friends support St. Joseph’s children and families with gifts of clothing, toiletries and much more. Each of the items so generously donated are first offered to our students and their families through our home, school and outreach programs.