Simplified: Sioux Falls Lutheran School began nearly fifty years ago as a preschool in a church basement. Today, the school system serves more than 500 students from infants through 12th graders. Here's a look at how the private school has managed growth and is looking to keep a close-knit community as it continues to grow.
Why it matters
- In 2020, Sioux Falls Lutheran School moved to a new building near 85th Street and Interstate 29. In the six years since, the school has completed five additions, including the most recent addition of an expanded middle and high school wing.
- The growth also illustrates the community's support for private school – with $2.3 million in funds raised for just the most recent project alone. In addition, Sioux Falls Lutheran has seen enrollment grow by 62% since 2020.
- Looking to the future, Executive Director Tia Esser said the goal is to continue growing, knowing the buildings limits. Esser said the school will keep each grade level limited to two sections – even if demand for the school increases as school choice options expand at the state and federal level.
"It helps us preserve a tight-knit community," Esser said. "It's intentionally intimate."
Tell me more
The latest project added about 24,000 square feet in a two-story addition with seven new middle and high school classrooms as well as a second-story conference room with floor to ceiling windows. This "Upper Room" honors architect Steve Jastram, who was instrumental in designing the school.
Other recent projects include:
- Adding a $1.4 million fitness center and training room in 2024,
- Expanding early childhood classrooms in 2023 to the tune of $2.2 million,
- And building the high school in two phases from 2021 to 2022 for a total of $2 million.
With all of those additions, the campus has almost doubled in size. When the initial $13.9 million school opened in 2020, it was 74,000 square feet.
- Today, the building is over 121,000 square feet.
Why so much growth?
Part of the equation is simply the growth in population. Esser said another thing she sees drawing parents to Sioux Falls Lutheran over other private, Christian schools is the desire for that more tight-knit community.
- Students have the opportunity to stay in the same building from infancy to high school graduation, she noted.
Esser said she's also closely watching a societal push for more school choice options at both the federal and state level.
- The school already receives about $200,000 each year through the state's tax-credit scholarship fund – a program in which certain businesses can give money to private schools instead of paying that money in taxes to the state's general fund (which is used to fund public schools statewide).
Gov. Larry Rhoden has been vocal about a desire to expand school choice options and divert more tax money to the state's private schools.
If that occurs, Esser is expecting to see even more parents choosing Sioux Falls Lutheran School, and possibly even filling the building sooner than projected.
"I know in states that have (school choice), there's no room at the inn," Esser said, referencing private school slots filling.
What happens next?
Sioux Falls Lutheran School will host a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, Jan. 20 to welcome the public to see their new space.
Moving forward, the new addition also includes room to add even more classrooms to the north of the building as demand increases. Esser said she sees the high school topping out at about 250 to 300 students.
