South Dakota
Schools
The need for dedicated educators in south central and southwest South Dakota is clear. Schools chronically face low test scores, high dropout rates, and severe attendance problems. Many students struggle with language acquisition and begin school learning English as a second language (Lakota being their first). Another obstacle many students and communities face is that over 70 percent of the population lives severely below the poverty line. Because South Dakota corps members live in such close proximity to the communities in which they teach, they have a very candid opportunity to work with school and community leaders and commit themselves to improving educational inequity on the reservation.
Most corps members teach on either the Rosebud Reservation or the Pine Ridge Reservation. Currently, Teach For America places corps members on the Rosebud Reservation in two school systems, Todd County School District and Saint Francis Indian School. Todd County is one of the largest districts in the region and serves nearly 2,100 students, of which, over 95 percent of the students are Native American. Saint Francis Indian School is a K-12 institution that serves a similar population of 600 students. Saint Francis is operated under local control through grants from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Corps members in Pine Ridge are currently clustered in three schools, the Crazy Horse School in Wanblee (population 640), the Little Wound School, located in the community of Kyle (population 970), and American Horse School in Allen (population 419). These schools are also operated under local control through grants from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Pine Ridge, located in Shannon and Jackson counties, is one of the most impoverished regions in the United States, with unemployment near 85 percent in some areas.
At a Glance
| Saint Francis Indian School |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Student Population |
| < 1% African-American |
| 5% Caucasian |
| < 1% Latino/Hispanic |
| < 1% Asian-American |
| 95% Native American |
| N/A Other |
| Ethnic Breakdown-Todd County |
| < 1% African-American |
| 14% Caucasian |
| < 1% Latino/Hispanic |
| < 1% Asian-American |
| 86% Native American |
| 2% Other |
| Percentage of Students Qualifying for Free/Reduced-Price Lunch |
| 90-100% |
| Placement |
| 48% elementary |
| 52% secondary |
|
98% teach at a school with another corps members or alumnus |
K-12 grade level placements
- general subject elementary
- specific subject secondary
- special education |
Our corps members
Placement regions
Corps and Alumni
