My Nonprofit Reviews

Thank you for your comment. Life on the reservations in South Dakota is difficult. Yet, many never consider leaving as it is the only life they know. Suicide is an epidemic for Native American youth. In fact, Native Americans are committing suicide at a rate three times the national average for their age group. Native American children's exposure to drug and alcohol abuse and gang activity is increasing. These and other problems are permeating the reservation, destroying homes and draining funds for needed programs. Graduating from eighth grade is a milestone for many Lakota (Sioux) youth in South Dakota. The dropout rates on South Dakota’s reservations is around 50%. In comparison, St. Joseph’s student’s graduating from High School is around 82.5%. The overall percentage of our students graduating from High School or obtaining a GED is 95.5%. These numbers have been tracked since 1996 and are the overall averages for St. Joseph's Indian School.