Riverdale High School was established in 1962 as an all-girls, grades 9-12 high school, with a Scottish Lassie as the mascot. The school became coed in 1980 and the mascot changed to the Scottish Rebel. Grades 7-8 were added in 1986, followed by grade 6 in 1988, but the middle and high school programs were split into separate schools in 1994. With the separation, Riverdale High School adopted 4x4 block scheduling, which splits the academic year into quarters and uses a four-period day. The school sustained minor damage during Hurricane Katrina and was among the first schools in the school district allowed to reopened. During recovery efforts, some National Guard troops used the empty school buildings for shelter. In the aftermath of Katrina, the student population dwindled and it was proposed that the middle and high schools be merged and the middle school campus be used to house the high school section of the overcrowded Haynes Academy. Parents opposed the idea as it would cause too much upheaval for their children as they had just returned to the area after being evacuated. The plans never went through and Riverdale Middle School remained open. Nearly 15,000 students have graduated from Riverdale High.
School uniforms
Students are required to wear a school uniform. This consists of a Riverdale oxford button-down shirt, khaki pants, grey plaid skirt, and either a Riverdale V neck sweater or Riverdale pull over sweater. No sweatshirt other than a Riverdale sweatshirt is allowed, and the sweatshirt cannot have a hood.
Campus
There are a total of ten buildings that make up the campus. There a four buildings which make a square. Within the square is a courtyard with a fountain and various seating. North Hall, South Hall, and West Hall consist of various classrooms. East Hall is the entrance to school, along with the administration offices and the library. Other buildings on campus include a Gymnasium, the AFJROTC Building, the Athletic Building, the Cafeteria, the Health Center, and the Student Council Building. There is also a field used for baseball and football practice near the Athletic Building.
The athletics at Riverdale High School consist of baseball, softball, soccer, cheer leading, football, wrestling, volleyball, basketball, cross country, and track.
During the fall of 2009, Riverdale was used to shoot both interior and exterior school shots for Lifetime's film The Pregnancy Pact.
In 2010, WWE Studios' Legendary, which starred John Cena, was filmed at Riverdale High School. Shortly after, the WWE Studios' film That's What I Am, starring Randy Orton, was also filmed at Riverdale High School.
