River Ridge is a public middle/high school complex founded in 1991 in New Port Richey, Florida. It was Florida's first joint middle/high school complex and is a part of the Pasco County School System. Both schools have their own classrooms, media center, and administrators. They share the cafeteria, theater, administrative offices, gymnasium, and athletic facilities. The complex is the largest school in Pasco County. The school mascot is the "Royal Knight" and their school colors are purple and silver.
Extra-curricular activities
River Ridge has many sports including football, hockey, soccer, basketball, tennis, wrestling, weightlifting, volleyball, cheerleading, swimming, cross country, and track. They also offer marching and concert band, drama, dancing and an AFJROTC unit. Other student organizations include German, Spanish, Science, History, Art, and Kitty Hawk Honor Societies, Interact, SADD, Student Council, Chess Club, SPLASH, KORR TV-5 News, Thespians, FBLA, Tri-M, the River Ridge Executive Council, an AFJROTC unit, and the Academy of Engineering. River Ridge High School also offers a robotics club as part of its Academy of Engineering. The robotics club, known as Royal Robotics, takes part in the VEX Robotics Competition, FIRST Robotics Competition, and ComBots. Royal Robotics takes part in community outreach projects aimed to start STEM related activities in local schools, as well as inspiring young children to choose a STEM related career. The club has won many notable awards, such as the Rookie Inspiration Award at the FIRST RoboticsSouth Florida Regional competition and first place at local ComBots competitions. The team has also taken part in notable competitions, including the VEX Robotics Florida State Championship in 2015, and the 2016 FIRST Robotics World Championship. As of February 2019, they have won first place at multiple Robotics Competitions throughout the US including but not limited to Roboticon 2017 and 2019, the FRC 2019 Greater Pittsburgh Regional, FRC 2017 Lone Star North Regional, and the VEX Robotics Greater Tampa League.
On December 17, 2019, a school resource officer working for the Pasco County Sheriff's Office threatened to shoot a student attempting to leave the school with an excused absence. The officer blocked the student's car as the student attempted to leave the school parking lot, first threatening him with suspension and then telling the student, "You’re going to get shot, you come another fucking foot closer to me". Additionally, Cindy Bond, a white discipline assistant, claimed the student used a racial slur to address her during the incident, although a body camera recording of the encounter showed that the student did not curse or use racial slurs. Following the shooting threat, the school expelled the student. The sheriff's office opened an internal investigation, however no discipline action was taken against the officer, who continues to work at the school following the incident.
