About Lakota Local Schools
Located in southwestern Ohio, Lakota Local Schools is the largest suburban public school district in southwest Ohio. It's also the eighth largest school district in the state, and the largest of all 10 public school districts in Butler County. Employing about 1,700 teachers and support staff, the K-12 district serves the communities of West Chester and Liberty townships.
Why WE are Lakota
"WE are Lakota" encompasses a wide range of experiences and emotions. Watch this video to hear from just a few students and staff what exactly makes Lakota a special place and why it's an exciting time to be a part of this community.
Our Schools
Lakota is made up of 23 total school buildings, including:
- Two high schools with two freshman campuses
- A Career Readiness Academy (alternative high school)
- Four junior schools
- Eight elementary schools, and
- Six early childhood schools.
View a complete list of schools, including addresses, phone numbers and school and office hours. View our interactive attendance zone map to search by address and see attendance boundaries.
Our Approach to Learning
At Lakota Local Schools, we pride ourselves in providing a student-centered education that prepares every student for one of the three Es after graduation: Enrollment, Employment or Enlistment. From personalized learning to an incredible range of curricular and extracurricular programs, it’s about providing every student with every opportunity to explore their passions.
Every one of our youngest learners is welcome to attend our all-day kindergarten program. Through a partnership with the Butler County Educational Service Center, all of our early childhood schools offer tuition-based preschool education.
Lakota schools boast many Innovative spaces for collaboration and hands-on learning, including a STEAM2 or Wonderlab in every early childhood and elementary school and Innovation Hubs in our junior schools. Makerspaces and flexible seating environments are making way for truly innovative learning experiences and project-based learning. A rotation of six specials, including art, music, physical education, STEAM2, technology, and health and wellness, gives students in grades K-6 daily exposure to areas outside of the core curriculum.
We are also paving the way for a 1:1 technology model for all our secondary students, beginning with a pilot in our junior schools. In part through a strong partnership with the West Chester Liberty Chamber Alliance, nearly 100 local businesses help provide work study, job shadowing and internship experiences. Universities and other educational partners, like Butler Tech, help give our students a head start on earning college credit or preparing to enter the workforce after graduation.
Lakota’s Career Readiness Academy is a unique alternative program, offering students the opportunity to earn their high school diploma in a smaller, more flexible environment that combines online learning with one-on-one instruction.
Lakota believes in the power of service learning to teach and inspire empathy, responsibility and civic engagement in our future leaders. Lakota schools partner with countless local and national causes all year long to share their talents and make a difference in the lives of others. The district-wide
Stuff the Bus Food Drive tradition generates more than 60 percent of Reach Out Lakota's total annual food donations. Additionally, Lakota staff model the way through
Casual for a Cause, a district-wide staff giving effort to support local causes that serve our families.
Our Community
Lakota serves the communities of West Chester Township and Liberty Township, conveniently located off I-75 between downtown Cincinnati and Dayton.
We are home to more than 98,000 residents and 3,800 businesses, and growing. We are surrounded by major hospitals for both general and pediatric care and easy access to multiple higher learning institutions. The surrounding business district offers a wide variety of retail, restaurant and recreational spaces as well as student learning opportunities through internships and work study experiences.
The safety and security of our students, staff and visitors is our number one priority, which is why we have a strong partnership with local law enforcement through the Butler County Sheriff's Office and the West Chester Police Department. Programs like those generated by our partnership with Mindpeace and the formation of Hope Squads provide support for students' mental and emotional needs as well.
Through monthly
Coffee Chats with the Superintendent and a longstanding
Community Conversations program, we are serious about getting out into the community and listening.
Multiple community support agencies serve as a resource for our families, including our own local food and clothing pantry, Reach Out Lakota, The Community Foundation of West Chester Liberty also supports the sustainability of the Lakota Foundation.