5 public K-12 schools in Pierre from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
5 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Pierre's 5 public schools is T F Riggs High School - 01, scoring 28/100, against a city average of 30.6/100. Computed live across every Pierre campus reporting to NCES.
How the Pierre Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Pierre, SD enrolls 2,749 students across 5 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 15.9:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 30.6/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Pierre on this index is T F Riggs High School - 01, at 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 855 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Pierre spans 1 district, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
T F Riggs High School - 01 accounts for 31.1% of all Pierre public-school enrollment
That concentration means Pierre-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Pierre school enrollment varies 2.3× across entities
Pierre school enrollment ranges from 377 students (lowest) to 855 students (highest), a spread of 478 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous school portfolio for a city this size. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Pierre operates only 1 school district — among the most consolidated governance structures in the country
Most Pierre school districts are a single unified district covering the whole city, a structural feature that simplifies inter-school comparison but concentrates policy authority. Consolidation produces narrower variance because resources pool across larger populations, but it can also mask intra-school district inequities — sub-school district differences within a single school district are not visible at this aggregation level. Consolidated systems typically rely more heavily on top-down funding formulas than on local revenue variability.
Pierre student-teacher ratio is 15.9:1: slightly above the ~15.7 national average, aligned with the U.S. average of approximately 15.7:1
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Sitting just over the national figure still leaves meaningful room for sub-unit variation that the aggregate number hides. Variation between sub-units within Pierre is typically wider than the Pierre-aggregate figure suggests.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Pierre
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Pierre is T F Riggs High School - 01 with a quality score of 28/100. There are 5 public schools in Pierre with 2,749 total students.
How many schools are in Pierre, SD? ▼
Pierre has 5 public schools with a total enrollment of 2,749 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 15.9:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
