Penn Hills High School
Encyclopedia
Penn Hills High School is a secondary school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the Penn Hills School District
Penn Hills School District
The Penn Hills School District is a public school district located in suburban Pittsburgh, serving the community of Penn Hills, which is about east of Downtown Pittsburgh...

.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...

 reports enrollment was 1277 students in 2009. It projects enrollment to decline by 300 students by 2014. Enrollment will continue to decline through school year 2019 to 910 pupils.

Academic achievement

In 2009, the high school is in Corrective Action II 3rd Year due to the persistent poor academic achievement of students as demonstrated by Reading, Writing, Mathematics and Science PSSA results and the graduation rate. It has been identified as a turnaround school in the Race to the Top
Race to the Top
Race to the Top, abbreviated R2T, RTTT or RTT, is a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competition designed to spur innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education...

 federal education grant program.

Graduation Rate:

2009 – 88%

2008 – 93%

2007 – 93%

PSSA Results

11th Grade Reading

2009 – 55% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.

2008 – 59%, State – 65%

2007 – 58%, State – 65.4%

11th Grade Math:

2009 – 41% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.

2008 – 43%, State – 56%

2007 – 38%, State – 53%

11th Grade Science:

2009 – 24% on grade level. State: 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.

2008 – 27%, State – 39%

2007 – Tested, state did not make results public

Penn Hills School District was ranked 464th out of the 498 ranked Pennsylvania School Districts in 2008 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic performance as demonstrated in 3 years of PSSA
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is a standardized test administered to public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are assessed in reading skills and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing skills...

 results.

College remediation rate

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 44% of Penn Hills School district graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large public university system in the United States. It is the tenth-largest university system in the United States and 43rd largest in the world...

 or community colleges. Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pennsylvania Department of Education
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...

, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.

Dual enrollment

The high school offers a Dual Enrollment program. This state program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. Students remain enrolled at their high school. The courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities at their high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.

For the 2009–10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $22,798 for the program.

Graduation project

By law, all Pennsylvania secondary school students must complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district.

Extracurriculars

The students have access to a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Eligibility for participation is set by the school board.

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.

Notable alumni

  • Kevin Peter Hall
    Kevin Peter Hall
    Kevin Peter Hall was an American actor known for his roles in Misfits of Science, Prophecy, Without Warning, and Harry and the Hendersons. He was also best known as the title character in the first two films in the Predator franchise.-Early life:Hall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

    , 7'2-1/2" actor who played the titular character in Harry and the Hendersons
    Harry and the Hendersons
    Harry and the Hendersons is a 1987 American comedy film directed and produced by William Dear, and starring John Lithgow, Melinda Dillon, Lainie Kazan and Don Ameche. It is the story of a family's encounter with the cryptozoological creature Bigfoot...

    and Predator
    Predator (film)
    Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....

    before dying of pneumonia in 1991
  • Bill Fralic
    Bill Fralic
    William P. Fralic, Jr. is a former professional American football offensive guard in the NFL.-Early years:...

     – All American Offensive Lineman for the University of Pittsburgh
    University of Pittsburgh
    The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

    , member of the College Football Hall of Fame
    College Football Hall of Fame
    The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...

    , Pro Bowl
    Pro Bowl
    In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...

     Offensive Guard for the Atlanta Falcons
    Atlanta Falcons
    The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

    , College football radio broadcaster
  • Anthony Morelli
    Anthony Morelli
    Anthony Michael Morelli is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2008...

    , QB for Penn State and QB Coach for Plum High School, Class of 2004
  • George Karl
    George Karl
    George Matthew Karl is a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player. He is the current head coach of the Denver Nuggets. On December 10, 2010 he became the seventh coach in NBA history to record 1,000 wins.-Biography:Karl was born in Penn Hills,...

     – former National Basketball Association
    National Basketball Association
    The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

     player, current coach of the Denver Nuggets
    Denver Nuggets
    The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...

  • Herb Sendek
    Herb Sendek
    Herbert J. Sendek is an American college basketball coach and the current men's basketball coach at Arizona State University.-Background:Sendek was formally introduced as the ASU head coach on April 3, 2006....

     – Head basketball coach at Arizona State
  • Tom Flynn
    Tom Flynn
    Thomas Flynn was a cricket Test match umpire. He umpired 4 Test matches, making his debut in the match between Australia and England in Melbourne on 1 January to 6 January 1892, standing with Jim Phillips...

     – former National Football League
    National Football League
    The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

     (NFL) safety, NFL defensive rookie of the year in 1984
  • Tom Tumulty
    Tom Tumulty
    Thomas Patrick Tumulty is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for three seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals....

     – former linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals
    Cincinnati Bengals
    The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...

  • Madeline Mullen
  • Barry Church
    Barry Church
    Barry Michael Church is an American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He went undrafted in the 2010 NFL Draft.-External links:**-References:...

     – Safety for Dallas Cowboys
  • Matthew Matuscak
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