Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School provides a Lakota, Catholic, Jesuit education of the heart and mind to students on the eastern side of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Located in Porcupine, South Dakota, buses travel hundreds of miles each day to transport students to our school. We serve students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade. Many students move on to continue their students at Red Cloud High School in Pine Ridge.
Our elementary school utilizes a balanced literacy approach to focus on reading and writing and word recognition in the early grades and builds to fluency and comprehension in the upper grades.
- Students read a wide range of materials.
- Hands-on science encourages active involvement.
- Middle school students study technology education, speech and computers as well as language arts, science, math, health enhancement, art, music and religion.
- Religion courses allow for the development and growth of each student's spirituality. Courses in the arts round out a full academic program.
- The quality of the programs is assured through accreditation both by South Dakota and the North Central Accreditation.
Red Cloud recognizes a unique responsibility to its Native American students, particularly the Lakota people. The goal of Red Cloud is to infuse Native American culture into every aspect of the school. A full time cultural instructor teaches courses in the elementary school and serves as a consultant to teachers in all grades and subject areas. Students have the opportunity to learn some of the more traditional cultural foundation.