Breaking barriers since 1972

SAINT FRANCIS – On May 15, 2026, at 2:15 p.m., the Saint Francis Indian School High School Gym filled with faculty, staff, administrators, students, and school board leaders for a moment that will be remembered as a turning point in the school’s modern history. What unfolded was far more than an assembly. It was a historic celebration of transformation, marking the school’s official transition from the long-standing “Needs Improvement” designation into the “Approaching Expectations” category under the Bureau of Indian Education’s ESSA aligned accountability system. For a school founded in 1972, this shift represented one of its most significant academic milestones.

Superintendent Danielle Walking Eagle stood before the crowd with pride, gratitude, and deep emotion. She emphasized that this achievement was the result of intentional leadership, data driven instruction, and the collective commitment of teachers, staff, families, school board members, and the broader community. As she spoke, she honored the strength of a school community that refused to be defined by past labels or limitations. The gym became a symbol of renewal, a place where a school once marked by challenge now stood united, rising into a new era of higher expectations, measurable achievement, and enduring hope.

Walking Eagle reflected on the school’s progress under the Every Student Succeeds Act, noting that accountability is not simply a requirement from the Bureau of Indian Education but a responsibility she lives every day. “The Bureau shared a roadmap of what accountability status is going to be,” she said. “As superintendent, it is what I live up to as accountability.”

She highlighted the many student centered programs working together to strengthen the school community, including FACE, Elementary, Middle School, High School, GATE, Special Education, Section 504, Lakota Language, counseling, intervention systems, athletics, and enrichment programs. Each area functions as part of a coordinated system aligned with ESSA requirements, designed to improve academic proficiency, attendance, graduation rates, and overall student well-being. Together, these programs advance a unified mission: ensuring every student succeeds academically, emotionally, socially, and culturally while preparing for leadership and postsecondary readiness.

Under ESSA’s accountability framework, schools are evaluated through indicators such as academic proficiency, attendance, graduation rates, and continuous improvement. Walking Eagle proudly shared that Saint Francis Indian School has reached an approximately 83 percent graduation rate and a 92 percent attendance rate, reflecting strong momentum and sustained progress.

She traced the school’s enrollment journey to show how far the community has come. In 2019–2020, the school had 596 students. During the COVID 19 lockdown year, enrollment shifted to 520. When she entered leadership in 2021, the work of rebuilding systems and restoring accurate data began. Enrollment stabilized at 543 in 2021–2022 and 536 in 2022– 2023, followed by 506 in 2023– 2024 as systems were rebuilt with purpose and accountability. She refused to see these numbers as decline. “I see the foundation of transformation,” she said. In 2024–2025, enrollment rose to 611 students, the highest in recent years, reflecting restored confidence and returning families. For 2025–2026, the school stands strong at 542 students. “These numbers are not just data points,” she said. “They represent a community that has moved through challenge, rebuilt with purpose, and is now stepping forward with vision, strength, and unwavering belief in our students.”

For the current school year, the school reports 542 enrolled students, a 92 percent attendance rate, and an approximately 83 percent graduation rate. Attendance, once impacted by post pandemic recovery and chronic absenteeism, has reached its highest levels in recent years. This turnaround reflects intentional systems of support, early interventions, and coordinated schoolwide efforts to improve student engagement.

Academic proficiency continues to show steady gains. Walking Eagle emphasized that progress is the result of consistency, training, and strategic action planning. “It’s steady. It’s consistency. It’s training. It’s strategic action planning,” she said. “It matters that we are ready.” A key shift this year was beginning Bureau assessment preparation nearly ten weeks earlier than before, giving students extended exposure to standards-based instruction. “We start earlier this year,” she explained. “To expose students to the standards in the area we need to be.”

Academic achievement has risen significantly across English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science. ELA proficiency increased from 12 percent in 2020– 2021 to 30 percent in 2024–2025. Mathematics rose from 5 percent to 35 percent, and Science grew from 2 percent to 12 percent. “We are not seeing isolated gains,” she said. “We are seeing a system changing through consistency, training, and action planning.” The audience responded with applause, recognizing the years of dedication behind these results.

Throughout her remarks, Walking Eagle credited teachers as the foundation of the school’s progress. “You teachers are the backbone of this change,” she told them. She acknowledged the challenging but necessary role of administrators and principals in maintaining accountability. “If the administrators are mean, because they want things done right, and they monitor your instructional time to be with the students, that’s right because they are accountable.” Principals and directors underwent rigorous evaluations because, as she stated, “It is in the law, it is the ESSA.”

She urged teachers to remain engaged in the Comprehensive Needs Assessment process. “You are brilliant,” she said. “You know who is lacking in skills. You know who has skills. You know our students.” She challenged educators to move beyond their comfort zones, reminding them that they understand the community and its struggles better than anyone. “This is your school,” she said passionately.

In one of the most emotional moments of the gathering, Walking Eagle, with teary eyes, thanked the entire school community for believing in the mission and helping achieve what once seemed impossible. “We did it,” she said softly. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

For years, the school remained classified as “Needs Improvement.” Now, for the first time in recent history, it has officially moved into “Approaching Expectations” and is steadily advancing toward “Meeting Expectations.” But Walking Eagle made clear that the journey is not finished. “Everyone wants to reach exceeds expectations,” she said. “We want to be the number one school in the Bureau of Indian Education.”

To honor the extraordinary commitment of faculty and staff, she announced that principals and directors would provide $1,000 performance incentives. “Spend it wisely,” she said with a smile. “Buy yourself the best dinner. You earned it.”

As the celebration concluded, she called on everyone to continue building stronger teams, mentoring future leaders, and working collectively toward the next milestone. “We need all of you,” she reminded the audience. “You know what students need. You know what they need to learn. You guys and these leaders took us where we need to go.”

With resilience, accountability, and hope guiding the way, Saint Francis Indian School now stands as a testament to what visionary leadership and collective determination can accomplish. Walking Eagle closed with gratitude to the school board, tribal council, parents, and community members. “This work is not done alone,” she said. “It is built through every teacher, every parent, every leader, and every community member who believes in our children and stands with us in this mission.”

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