Skip To Main Content

Logo Image

Logo Title

Ritenour Points of Pride

There's nothing quite like Ritenour Pride.  For generations, the Ritenour School District has been the heart of the community; and the community has been the heart of the Ritenour School District.  Ritenour has a rich tradition and illustrious history that officially began in 1867.

Ritenour students have a one-of-a-kind experience no other school district can match.  From eating a hamburger and french fries with mustard at the Handee House, to spending a Saturday night under the stars with friends at Chuck-A-Burger, there's nothing quite like the years spent in Ritenour.  Football games, homecoming, prom, working at the high school radio station, favorite teachers - many of our alumni's most cherished memories happened as a Ritenour student.

Ritenour boasts Monsanto Science Fair winners, state math champions, state and national champions in debate, music, vocals, business and athletics.  The district has also earned national awards for academic improvement, community engagement and financial management.

  • More than 6,300 students attend Ritenour's 10 schools.
  • Ritenour School District is fully accredited by the Missouri Department of Education.
  • Ritenour has earned the prestigious national Meritorious Budget Award 18 consecutive years.
  • Our graduates prove our dedication to educational excellence.  Doctors, lawyers, college professors, military generals, musicians, actors, two Pulitzer prize winners the inventor of Crest toothpaste and the former governor of Oregon are all proud Ritenour alums.
  • In 1997, Ritenour created a Hall of Fame to pay tribute to graduates who have shown exceptional personal, community or professional achievements.  The goal of the Hall of Fame is to honor the many successful alumni whose success will serve as an inspiration to current and future Ritenour students.
  • Ritenour is the only high school in Missouri to have a full operating radio station, KRHS 90.1 FM.  The station hit the airwaves in 1976.
  • In the mid to late 1960s, Ritenour was the largest high school in Missouri with over 3,000 students in grades 10-12.  Ninth graders were still at the junior high at this time.
  • The Handee House was the gathering place for Ritenour students from 1938-1968.  An estimated 15,000 Ritenour students spent time eating lunch or dancing at the Handee House during its 30-year existence.  It was an integral part of the Ritenour experience for thousands of students.
  • Since the 1950s, other local hangouts like Chuck-A-Burger and Steak 'n Shake have been a home away from home for many Ritenour students as well.  Both are places for students to hang out with friends after school or after a prom, homecoming and athletic events.
  • The Wagon Wheel Football Game against Normandy High School was a tradition for many years.  The annual contest started in 1953 when the Kiwanis Clubs of Ritenour and Normandy proposed a football game be played on Thanksgiving Day.  The wheel (an actual small wagon wheel) symbolizes the traffic along St. Charles Rock Road - an old wagon road that connected the Overland Trail.
  • Ritenour boasts numerous national and state chamions in both academics and athletics.
  • Ritenour is home to one of the most dominant dynasties in the history of  high school wrestling.  From 1944-1974, Ritenour won an unprecedented 16 state championships.  Ritenour's 14-consecutive year state championship run from 1948-1961 stands nationally as the second longest in the history of high school wrestling.  Eighty-five individual wrestlers have brought home state championships.
  • The Ritenour baseball team won the state title three times (1957, 1966, 1967); the track & field team are two-time state champions (1985, 1989).
  • Ritenour has one of the premier engineering programs in the St. Louis region.
  • Ritenour opened its new community auditorium at Ritenour High School during the 2011-2012 school year.  The 81,000 square foot auditorium features a 791-seat auditorium; classrooms for band, choir, drama and orchestra use; a student art exhibit area and much more.
  • In August 2010, Ritenour opened its School for Early Childhood Education - the first "new" school in the district in 52 years.
  • Both the School for Early Childhood Education and the auditorium at Ritenour High School are designed and built to meet the strict standards for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, meaning they are built to some of the highest standards of environmental sustainability.
  • The name "Ritenour" was chosen in honor of J. S. Ritenour - a prominent landowner in the area in the late 1800s.
  • Parts of nine municipalities reside within Ritenour's borders, including Breckenridge Hills, Charlack, Edmundson, Overland, St. Ann, St. John, Sycamore Hills, Vinita Park and Woodson Terrace.