High school (grades 9-12) · Pierre, SD

T F Riggs High School - 01

Federal NCES profile for T F Riggs High School - 01, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 27/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 465526000500
0/100100/10027/100
👥 S:T ratio
30
📚 AP courses
25
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
43
📋 Attendance
7
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

T F Riggs High School - 01 earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of South Dakota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Dakota.

#4 of 5
public schools in Pierre · Resource Index
27
Resource Index · Lower
17.4:1
large classes for South Dakota
14.4%
free-lunch eligible

T F Riggs High School - 01 has class sizes larger than 87% of South Dakota schools. Computed live against every South Dakota school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, T F Riggs High School - 01 ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Pierre, SD.

Enrollment

855

South Dakota · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

49.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.4:1

vs 13.6:1 South Dakota avg

+28% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

14.4%

vs 28.8% South Dakota avg

-50% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How T F Riggs High School - 01 compares with South Dakota and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at T F Riggs High School - 01

T F Riggs High School - 01 is a lower-poverty, large high school in Pierre, South Dakota, enrolling 855 students.

Class loads run heavy: 17.4:1 is larger than about 87% of South Dakota schools and 28% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 14.4% of students eligible for free meals.

By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in South Dakota, bigger than 97% of state schools at 855 students.

Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 691 South Dakota schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.

Among 45 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need South Dakota schools statewide, it ranks #39, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is led by White (69%) and American Indian / Alaska Native (12%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 49/100).

On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.

Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 285 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 37.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

The surrounding Pierre School District 32-2 spends $9,982 per pupil, 26% below the South Dakota average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 16.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 411 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 855 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

Pierre School District 32-2 also operates Georgia Morse Middle School - 02 (672 students) and Buchanan Elementary - 03 (432 students) alongside T F Riggs High School - 01.

Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25

How T F Riggs High School - 01 compares

T F Riggs High School - 01 on the metrics families compare, against South Dakota and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs South Dakota South Dakota avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 17.4:1 ▲ 28% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 14.4% ▼ 50% 28.8% 51.7%
Enrollment 855 top 3% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
855
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
14.4%
free-lunch eligible - 50% below the South Dakota average of 28.8%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.4:1
students per teacher - 28% above state mean
Top 87% in South Dakota - lower ratio than 13% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
37.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$9,982
per pupil, district-wide - below South Dakota avg of $13,477
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 285 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
235
in-school suspensions + 176 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 27.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 48.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Overview

  • Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
  • Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
  • F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.

Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.

Student demographics

White 69.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 11.7%
Two or More 11.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
Asian 1.5%
African American 0.2%

Largest group: White at 69.4% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 48.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 48.8, T F Riggs High School - 01 is more mixed than the South Dakota school average of 27.6.

Programs

AP courses offered 5

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pierre School District 32-2, which includes T F Riggs High School - 01.

$9,982
Per student
-26%
vs South Dakota
Avg $13,477
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 43.0%
State 40.7%
Federal 16.3%

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.

How T F Riggs High School - 01 Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Georgia Morse Middle School - 02 Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Buchanan Elementary - 03 Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Kennedy Elementary - 08 Smaller Higher economic need Similar S:T ratio
Jefferson Elementary - 06 Smaller Higher economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to T F Riggs High School - 01's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Pierre School District 32-2 · 4 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar high schools statewide

Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Dakota, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on T F Riggs High School - 01's federal record.

Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.

Frequently asked questions about T F Riggs High School - 01

How many students attend T F Riggs High School - 01?

T F Riggs High School - 01 has 855 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pierre, SD.

What is the student-teacher ratio at T F Riggs High School - 01?

The student-teacher ratio at T F Riggs High School - 01 is 17.4:1, which is 28% higher than the South Dakota average of 13.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at T F Riggs High School - 01?

14.4% of students at T F Riggs High School - 01 are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Dakota average of 28.8%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of T F Riggs High School - 01?

The largest demographic group at T F Riggs High School - 01 is White at 69.4% of enrollment, in Pierre, SD.

What is the Resource Investment Index for T F Riggs High School - 01?

T F Riggs High School - 01 has a Resource Investment Index of 27/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does T F Riggs High School - 01 rank among public schools in Pierre?

By Resource Investment Index, T F Riggs High School - 01 ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Pierre, SD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Pierre on the city page.

Is T F Riggs High School - 01 a good school?

T F Riggs High School - 01 earns 27/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 87% of South Dakota schools. It is also one of the largest schools in South Dakota. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.

What other schools are in Pierre School District 32-2?

Besides T F Riggs High School - 01, Pierre School District 32-2 also operates Georgia Morse Middle School - 02 (672 students), Buchanan Elementary - 03 (432 students), and Kennedy Elementary - 08 (413 students). See the Pierre School District 32-2 district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.