Bethel Park High School selected as a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School

The U.S. Department of Education has named Bethel Park High School a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School, one of just 10 in Pennsylvania — and the lone school in the Pittsburgh area — to be selected this year. 

Schools receive the recognition based on overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

“We are humbled to be named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education,” said Joseph Villani, principal of Bethel Park High School. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and commitment to success from all members of our school community, including our dedicated teachers and staff members, our determined administrators, and our outstanding students; combined with the unwavering support of our families and stakeholders.”

Bethel Park High School had a 99% graduation rate with 91% of graduates enrolled in post-secondary institutions or apprenticeships and about 9% of graduates enlisting in the military or entering Pennsylvania’s workforce in 2022. And over the past four years on the state’s Keystone standardized tests, the composite scores of Bethel Park students have risen by at least 5% in math, science and English.

The high school offers 19 Advanced Placement courses, 13 college-and-high school offerings and 32 honors courses.

In the 2021-22 school year, the school partnered with the National Math + Science Initiative to encourage more student involvement in AP instruction and assessments. In 2022, 168 students chose to take AP exams for a total of 299 AP exams, a 30% increase over the previous year. Of those exams, 74.4% of students earned a qualifying score, a 3.4% increase from 2021.

Read more at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.