Our Mission

Pine Ridge Girls’ School radically changes the trajectory of Lakota girls’ lives by equipping them with vital foundations for new and promising futures full of choice and opportunity.

Despite its long and rich culture and history, the Pine Ridge reservation is a place that continues to struggle with profound poverty and a legacy of educational failure.

On the Pine Ridge reservation, the high school dropout rate is 70%, and only 2% of those who graduate are college-ready. But Pine Ridge Girls School exists to change these statistics drastically.

We are the only school on any reservation in America providing an academically rigorous, all-girls, college-prep education, immersed in Lakota culture, language, and values. Our unique model is built on empowerment. It equips Lakota girls with the vital foundations they need to find their voices, thrive in competitive colleges, and become community and national leaders.

Pine Ridge Girls’ School is tuition-free and independent. We do not receive any state or federal funding but are funded by private donors who support our vision of new futures full of choice and opportunity for Native girls.

We expect to serve as a model for Native girls everywhere and a source of inspiration for schools in underserved communities nationwide.

Victoria Shorr
Chair of the Board, Pine Ridge Girls’ School