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Pierre, South Dakota - 5 schools
An equity score of 35/100 ranks Pierre School District 32-2 #85 of 121 districts in South Dakota (state average 51). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $9,982 per pupil, Pierre School District 32-2 ranks #133 of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending (South Dakota districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,762
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$9,982
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Pierre School District 32-2 operates 5 public schools serving 2,762 students, placing it among the smallest districts in South Dakota. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Hughes County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $9,982 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 149 South Dakota districts by per-pupil spending. See how South Dakota compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 43.0% local, 40.7% state, and 16.3% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 35/100, ranked #85 of 121 in South Dakota against a state average of 51, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 368.6:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 28.1% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 65.2% White, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Buchanan Elementary - 03, with a diversity index of 56.5/100.
Its largest campus is T F Riggs High School - 01, enrolling 855 students (31% of the district's total enrollment).
T F Riggs High School - 01 accounts for 31.0% of all Pierre School District 32-2 student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Pierre School District 32-2-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. 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 District 32-2 school enrollment varies 2.3× across entities
Pierre School District 32-2 school enrollment ranges from 377 students (lowest) to 855 students (highest), a spread of 478 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Pierre School District 32-2 student-counselor ratio is 369:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Pierre School District 32-2 chronic absenteeism rate is 28.1% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Pierre School District 32-2 is typically wider than the Pierre School District 32-2-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in Pierre School District 32-2?
Pierre School District 32-2 has 5 schools, including 1 high, 1 middle, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 2,762 students.
How much does Pierre School District 32-2 spend per student?
Pierre School District 32-2 spends $9,982 per student. The district has an equity score of 35/100, ranking #85 in South Dakota.
What is the demographic composition of Pierre School District 32-2?
Pierre School District 32-2 students are 65.2% White, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, 0.4% African American, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Pierre School District 32-2?
Pierre School District 32-2 has an equity score of 35/100, ranking #85 out of 121 districts in South Dakota.