Our Program

We are committed to a strategic educational model that balances rigorous college-prep academics, a girls’ school approach, and the power of Lakota history, language, and values. PRGS creates an environment defined by pride and focus where our girls learn to become vocal and engaged community leaders.

Girl-Centric Approach

The strength of an all-girls education is in its mission of female empowerment. Rather than remaining victims of circumstance, an all-girls academic approach nurtures students through socio-emotional support. Girls consistently learn best in STEM classwork without the social pressures that come from being in classrooms with boys who typically "own" the math and science disciplines. This model is particularly meaningful within Lakota culture, where women traditionally have a powerful role in owning “the final say.”

Culturally Empowered

Lakota culture, language, and values are the foundation of our curriculum and school life. Educational models for Native students have consistently failed because they cut young people off from the essential empowering potential of their culture, leaving them rootless, depressed, and ashamed. We reinforce that our girls come from and are part of something beautiful, powerful, and sacred. This engenders self-worth, unlocks leadership potential, and sparks their interest in their classwork, which they then see as the pathway to their future.

Strategic Learning

We designed our college-prep curriculum around three strategic areas: 1) Environmental Sciences, 2) Leadership and Governance, and 3) Art, Communications, and Technology. These three exist at the intersection of Lakota culture, the community’s needs, and skills that girls will need in college and beyond. The relationship to the earth is integral to Lakota culture, serving as a pathway into STEM skills like biology, chemistry, and mathematics. 

Community Leadership

Just as nearly 80% of girls’ school graduates in America hold leadership positions after high school, we expect PRGS students to thrive in competitive colleges, equipped with the holistic education they need to become community and national leaders. In the long-term, we expect to see what a generation of educated Lakota women committed and prepared to rebuild health care, education, and the environment will mean for the Pine Ridge Reservation and beyond.