Academics

We believe in empowering every student to be “future-ready." The Portrait of a Lakota Graduate outlines the skills, characteristics and attributes that WE as a community desire to see in every learner who graduates from Lakota. At Lakota, the Portrait guides the student learning experience from kindergarten through high school. 

The tool aligns the pillars of Lakota's strategic plan and provides clearly defined skills for future success in one of the four Es: Enrollment, Employment, Enlistment or Entrepreneurship. 

We believe in preparing EVERY student for success after graduation in one of the four Es: 

• Enrollment in higher education;
• Enlistment in military service;
• Employment as a contributing member of our community; or
• Entrepreneurship. 

From college preparatory courses and pathways to a strong partnership with Butler Tech for career and technical training to real world learning experiences to career-ready programs like  INCubatoredu@Lakota and Cyber Academy, Lakota teachers and staff rely on partnerships to prepare students for their next step. 

Lakota is committed to providing real world learning opportunities that challenge our students to solve real problems with the concepts they've learned. Especially at the secondary level, we do this by connecting our students to authentic audiences or industry experts in the form of guest speakers, mentorships, job shadowing experiences and even internships. 

Lakota works hard to meet students where they are in their learning, providing specialized support through Special Education Services, Gifted Services and English as a Second Language (ESL), for example. Alternative credit options give high school students the added flexibility to earn credits through alternative methods and fill their regular class schedule with more courses that interest them. 

In most classrooms, we use techniques like flipped classrooms and project based learning to reach different types of learners. Students are more engaged in their learning, too, because they have more choice. 

Lakota Central empowers students to take a more non-traditional approach to their learning, allowing students to work at their own pace and earn credits with the benefits of a curriculum that combines online instruction with one-on-one support.