Indian Community School, Inc. (ICS) is a private, faith-based, inter-tribal school that began in the homes of three courageous Oneida mothers in 1969. From these humble beginnings, ICS has been serving the American Indian community of metro Milwaukee for 55 years, providing our youth with a unique learning experience. Our mission is to cultivate an enduring cultural identity and critical thinking by weaving indigenous teachings with a distinguished learning environment. The 359 students enrolled for the 2024-2025 school year represent more than 250 families. The tribal affiliations of our students include Wisconsin tribes and other federally recognized tribes, with approximately 40 tribal nations in total. ICS employs over 100 dedicated staff members with the majority of them being full-time. There are 58 instructional staff and Mr. Jason Dropik, who is a Bad River tribal member, is the School Administrator. 

Our School’s History Over the Years 
• Founded in 1969 out of the failings and frustrations with the Milwaukee Public School system, ICS began when three Oneida mothers took American Indian children into their homes to address their safety and education needs. They quickly outgrew the space and moved student instruction into the basement of a nearby church (our second location). 

• In 1971, the American Indian Movement on behalf of the Milwaukee Indian community, and using the language in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851, took over the abandoned Coast Guard Station on Milwaukee’s lakefront. This location became the third home of the school. Through grants and federal funding, American Indian students of all ages were provided an alternative education. 

• In 1972, ICS incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt organization 501(c)3. 

• Throughout the 70’s school fundraisers and federal grants helped keep the school going but the dilapidated Coast Guard Station became an increasingly difficult building to maintain for instruction. In 1980, Indian Community School moved out of the Coast Guard Station and into the former Bartlett Avenue School, which was also an abandoned and dilapidated building. The move was a complex deal between ICS, Milwaukee Public Schools, the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County. Ownership of the Coast Guard Station went back to Milwaukee County. 

• In 1983, federal cutbacks resulted in Indian Community School having to close its doors. For three years, the Indian Community School Board of Directors remained active; they continued meeting and conducted numerous fundraisers to reopen the school. Those fundraising efforts would continue as the ICS Board searched for a reliable funding source. 

• In 1986, the Bartlett School was sold and those funds would later be used to purchase the Concordia College Campus on State Street. 

• In 1987, the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother provided necessary resources, including a gift of $100,000 to help reopen the school at the State Street property. 

• In 1987, the ICS Board of Directors followed their vision and approached several Wisconsin tribes about a possible gaming venture. The Board’s plan was to put land “in trust’ and set up a gaming operation in Milwaukee to provide income to support a school. 

• After two years of pursuit, Indian Community School purchased 8 acres of land (Canal Street property) and successfully petitioned the courts, along with Forest County Potawatomi, to convert the State Street and the Canal Street properties into trust land. This ruling would allow Forest County Potawatomi to establish a high-stakes bingo operation at the Canal Street property. 

• With trust land established, Forest County Potawatomi leased the State Street property to ICS. 

• In March 1991, Forest County Potawatomi’s gaming facility began operations at its Canal Street property, which provided the school with operational funds and the ability to begin extensive renovation of the school buildings being used at the State Street property. For the first time, ICS was assured a stable funding source to operate a K4-8th grade elementary school for its urban American Indian students. 

• In 1994, ICS celebrated 25 years of Indian-controlled education in the Hall of Nations at the school. 

• In 1998, with the knowledge that our agreement with Forest County Potawatomi would be ending in 2010, ICS initiated the process to purchase a land base for a new school. Over the course of several years, ICS assembled the 178 acres on which the school is currently located in Franklin, Wisconsin. 

• In 1999, the Rainbow Health Clinic, which served the Milwaukee Indian community, was going to close. ICS helped to establish the Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Clinic (GLIIHC) to maintain urban Indian healthcare here in Milwaukee. 

• In 2003, world-renowned architect, Antoine Predock, began work to design a building that would be culturally relevant and bring the outside in. Chris Cornelius, an Oneida architect, collaborated with Predock on the Woodland cultural components of the building. 

• In 2007, ICS opened the doors of its forever home at 10405 W. St. Martins Road in Franklin, Wisconsin. 

• In 2010, the mediated agreement between Indian Community School and Forest County Potawatomi ended. 

• In 2010, the ICS Board of Directors established the ICS Support Organization to invest and manage assets so the school could be funded in perpetuity. 

• In 2015, the ICS Board of Directors initiated “Listening to Tribal Voices” to encourage input from tribes, parents, students, staff, and the community about what each thinks is essential knowledge for their tribal students and what should be included in the school’s curriculum. We wanted to know: what should ICS students know by the time they graduate from our school? 

• In 2016, fourth-grade students from Indian Community School saw something they didn’t like in learning about Columbus Day and successfully petitioned Milwaukee County to change the holiday to Indigenous People’s Day. The following year, ICS students testified in favor of a bill and held a rally at the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in Madison. 

• In 2017, the Our Ways Teaching and Learning Framework™ was piloted. The OWTLF is based on the information gathered from Listening to Tribal Voices. In addition, a dedicated Our Ways Room was created and staff was appointed to support teachers in its implementation. 

• Also in 2017, the school celebrated “130 Moons, 40 Seasons, 10 Years” with the community to commemorate a decade in our forever home in Franklin, Wisconsin. The new Boardwalk / Outdoor Classrooms opened, offering 532 linear feet of boardwalk access to four ponds plus, 850 square feet of observation deck space, for students to study wetlands and ecosystems up close. 

• In 2019, ICS debuted its school song “Eagles,” written and composed by ICS alumnus, Darrel Hill, who then taught the song to the students on the ICS Eagles Drum. 

• Filming began in the Spring of 2019 on a film documentary directed by Chris Eyre, to document the school’s history and relay the story about the school, as told by the people who lived it. 

• In Fall of 2019, ICS students performed a play to tell the 50-year story of ICS entitled, “All My Relations,” written and directed by ICS alumnus, Ty Defoe. 

• On October 8, 2019, Governor Tony Evers held a press conference at Indian Community School. He signed Executive Order No. 50 in the presence of ICS students and staff, along with tribal leaders representing the Nations of Wisconsin, declaring the second Monday of October as “Indigenous People’s Day” throughout the state. Three days later, the entire school and the community, celebrated the renaming of a Milwaukee County Park from Columbus Park to “Indigenous People’s Park.” 

COVID-19 Impact to Teaching and Learning
• In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic struck during the Indian Community School’s 50th anniversary school year. When other schools closed, ICS provided each of its students with laptops to take home and instruction taught by ICS teachers, who also worked from home. The school also provided remote meals for families and curbside library service. 

• For the 2020-2021 school year, ICS offered dual learning pathways, allowing families to choose between in-person instruction or remote learning for their children. 

• As it has always been since the very beginning of the school, it was a time that proved the strength and resilience of ICS students, staff, Board, and the community, who worked together to successfully overcome the challenges that arose before them. 

• On August 31, 2021, all 367 ICS students resumed in-person instruction for the first time in two years. 

• In May 2022, ICS screened "Light the Path" with students, staff, and the community. "Light the Path" is a film documentary that tells the story of the Indian Community School. Directed by Chris Eyre (Cheyenne and Arapaho), an award-winning filmmaker, this film captures the voices of over 40 individuals, sharing the journey and impact of ICS.

55-Years and Counting...
• As we embrace the 2024-2025 school year, we are celebrating 55 years of Indian-controlled education! We are excited and proud, and we remain deeply committed to our Mission, Vision, and Seven Sacred Gifts, as we move forward with our students, staff, families, and community.