Shaler Area High School

Story

Shaler Area High School is located in western Pennsylvania just north of Pittsburgh. The school employed 124 teachers yielding a student teacher ratio of 14:1. The students' Race/Ethnicity breakdown was: 1,750 Caucasian, 6 Hispanic, 27 Black, 7 Asian Pacific Islander.HistoryShaler Area High School was established in 1971 from the court-ordered merger of Etna borough, Reserve Township, Millvale borough, and Shaler Township high schools. The current building was constructed during 1978 and 1979.In 2006, the school board approved a plan to regroup grades within its schools, including moving ninth grade students to the high school. $30 million in renovations were budgeted to create space for classrooms and to enlarge other school facilities. although it was perfectly capable of handling 9th grade up to the 1997-1998 school year.Graduation RateIn 2011, Shaler Area High School's graduation rate was 93%. In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. The Shaler's rate was 92% for 2010.According to traditional graduation rate calculations:2010 - 96% 2009 - 95% 2008 - 97% 2007 - 97%AcademicsIn 2011, Shaler Area High School declined to Corrective Action II 4th Year AYP status due to chronic, low student achievement in reading and mathematics. In 2010, the school was in Corrective Action II 3rd Year AYP status. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, the school administration was required to notify parents of the poor achievement and to offer the opportunity to transfer to a successful school within the school district. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Education required the administration to develop a School Improvement Plan to address the chronic low student achievement. In 2011, the school reported that 14 core courses were taught by teachers who were designated "Non‐Highly Qualified Teachers" under NCLB. Sixteen teachers had emergency certification.