Wakpala High School - 01

Wakpala High School - 01, a tiny high school in Wakpala, South Dakota, operated by Smee School District 15-3, enrolls 38 students, covering grades 9 through 12. Compared to the state average of about 225 students per school, that is 83% leaner than typical.

Smee School District 15-3 comprises 3 schools with combined enrollment of 174 students; Wakpala High School - 01 is among them.

On the student-mix side, Wakpala High School - 01 logs that the student body is overwhelmingly Native American (95%); the rest breaks down as 5% multiracial.

In terms of school funding signals, Wakpala High School - 01 reports 6 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 6.1:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 20.6:1 average. Roughly 100% of students at Wakpala High School - 01 qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Around the school, the surrounding county (Corson County) records that median household earnings sit near $46,406, about 19% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 34%. In all, Corson County runs 11 public schools (combined enrollment of about 858 students), of which Wakpala High School - 01 is one.

Nearest neighbor: Wakpala Elementary - 02, around 0.0 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 2 other public schools cluster around Wakpala High School - 01.

The campus sits in a low-density setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Wakpala High School - 01's enrollment has decreased 34% since 2018, when it stood at 58 (now 38). Class-load math has tightened: from 7.7:1 in 2018 to 6.1:1 in 2025.

On allk12, the feed for Wakpala High School - 01 typically covers sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.