Scranton High School (Pennsylvania)

Scranton High School is an urban high school located in Lackawanna County, Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Scranton School District. It enrolled 1,792 ninth through twelfth grade students in 2010.^[2] It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.^[3]

The school offers honors and advanced classes for motivated students. Regular classes are aimed at a wide range of students with different academic abilities. The school provides ESL (English as a Second Language) and development courses for students.

The school is designated as a Title I school wide institution. In 2010, 890 students qualified for a free or reduced price lunch due to family poverty. The student population was Caucasian - 1,190, Hispanic - 263, African American - 184, Asian/Pacific Islander - 100 and Native American - 1. The student body included 857 females and 881 males in 2010.

History

Scranton High School opened its doors on the corner of Vine Street and Washington Avenue. The original building was renamed Scranton Central High School following the opening of Scranton Technical High School and the W.T. Smith Manual Training School. In 1990, Scranton Technical High School became Scranton High School. The following year, Central closed, and its students were sent to the former Technical and West Scranton High School. In 1992/93, the Technical mascot of the Red Raiders was dropped, and the Knight became the team mascot. In 2001, a new high school building opened adjacent to Memorial Stadium, and the former Technical building became Northeast Scranton Intermediate School. Its principals have been Alfred Karam (August 1991 – June 2002), Robert McTiernan (August 2002 – October 2006), Bryan McGraw (November 2006 – November 2009), Eric Schaeffer (December 2009 – May 2012), and John Coyle (July 2012 – present).

Building

Scranton High School is an example of modern architecture with an interesting design. Most of the classrooms are in one of three wings, and the gyms and pool are on the opposite end of the building. The school was the recipient of a Golden Trowell Award for an educational building in 2002. The area is also recognized for its mentions in the hit TV show, The Office.^[4]

Academics

The school is organized into the following academic units/departments:

• Business
• English
• Fine Arts
• Foreign Languages
• Health/Physical Education
• Home Economics
• Industrial Arts
• Mathematics
• Science
• Social Studies

Requirements for graduation include four years of math, English, social studies, and physical education; three years of science; two years of health, one year of driver safety, and four elective credits. Students are also required to complete a graduation project. This consists of an extensive paper on a subject of their choosing. The students must then present this project to members of the faculty. If this project is not completed, the student will not be allowed to graduate. Students must also pass the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSAs) in reading, writing, science, and mathematics with a level of at least "proficient" to graduate.

Achievement

In 2011, Scranton High School declined to "Corrective Action I" status due to chronic low student achievement.^[5] In 2010, thechool declined to "School Improvement level II" AYP status due to continuing low achievement of its pupils. In 2009, the school was in "School Improvement level I" AYP status.^[6] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the administration to develop and submit for approval a school improvement plan focused on raising student academic achievement.

PSSA results

11th Grade Reading:

• 2011 - 70% on grade level (12% below basic). State - 69.1% of 11th graders are on grade level.^[7]
• 2010 - 76% (12% below basic). State - 67%.^[8]
• 2009 - 74%, State - 65%^[9]
• 2008 - 71%, State - 65% ^[10]
• 2007 - 73%, State - 65% ^[11]

11th Grade Math:

• 2011 - 60% on grade level (13% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 60.3% of 11th graders are on grade level.^[12]
• 2010 - 63% (22% below basic). State - 59%.^[13]
• 2009 - 67%, State - 56% ^[14]
• 2008 - 68%, State - 56%
• 2007 - 65%, State - 53% ^[15]

11th Grade Science:

• 2011 - 39% on grade level (16% below basic). State - 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.^[16]
• 2010 - 40% (17% below basic). State - 39%
• 2009 - 41%, State - 40% ^[17]
• 2008 - 20% (26% below basic), State - 39%^[18]

In 2008, a study was conducted of public schools in Lackawanna County and Luzerne County. It found that of the 10 public school districts in Lackawanna County, Scranton School District academic achievement ranked 7th in math and 9th in Reading. In 2004 the district was in School Improvement Level 1 AYP status. In 2005 the district was in School Improvement Level 1 AYP status. In 2006 and 2007, the district made AYP. In 2008 the district declined to Warning status.^[19]

College remediation rate

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 22% of the Scranton School District's 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 or community colleges.^[20] Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduates in three years.^[21] Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 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.

SAT scores

From January to June 2011, 253 Scranton High School students took the SAT exams. The district's average verbal acore was 452. The average math score was 465. The average writing score was 435.^[22] Pennsylvania ranked 40th in the state with SAT scores: Verbal 493, Math 501, Writing 479.^[23] In the United States 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 (out of 800) in verbal, 514 in math and 489 in writing.^[24]

Dual enrollment

A dual enrollment program has been offered to students that allows them to take advanced placement and honors classes that will be recognized as college credit from institutions such as Keystone College and Lackawanna College. The credit is contingent upon the student achieving at least an 88 average in the class. Dual enrollment is offered in the following courses:

• American Government Honors (3 credits)
• English IV Honors (3 credits)
• American History II Honors (3 credits)
• Human Physiology Honors (3 credits)
• Elementary Analysis Honors (4 credits)
• Calculus Honors (4 credits)
• Cold War to War on Terror Honors (3 credits)
• Spanish IV (3 credits)

Scholastic competition

In the 2005-2006 school year, the school competed in both the Scholastic Bowl and the televised Scholastic Scrimmage, sponsored by the U.S. Army. Both competitions involved a team of five students competing against other local schools. Scranton High placed 4th out of 27 schools in the Scholastic Bowl, and won the initial Scholastic Scrimmage. This victory won the school four thousand dollars.

In the 2006-2007 school year, Scranton High School won both the Scholastic Bowl and the Scholastic Scrimmage.^[25][26]

In the 2007-2008 school year, Scranton High School placed second in the Scholastic Scrimmage. The victory won the school two thousand dollars.

Extracurriculars

Scranton School District offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Eligibility to participate is set by school board policies. Any student failing more than one subject will not be allowed to participate in any extracurricular activity until proof of passing is approved by the principal.^[27]

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school or home school, 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.^[28]

Notable alumni

• Cy Endfield, Hollywood screenwriter
• Jane Jacobs, author, urban planning^[30]
• Gershon Legman, author and folklorist
• Joe McCarthy, professional baseball player^[31]
• Jean Marlowe, professional baseball player
• Mike Munchak, professional football player, coach (Scranton Central)
• Joe O'Malley, football player (Scranton Technical)

Partnerships

References

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 41°25′05″N 75°40′08″W / 41.4181°N 75.6689°W / 41.4181; -75.6689