Seneca Valley Jumps to No. 12 Spot in Region’s Top Districts

Seneca Valley continues to make its way up the ladder in the Pittsburgh Business Times annual school rankings of districts across the Pittsburgh area.

Seneca Valley ranked 12th out of 105 districts in the region, which is three higher than the no. 15 ranking it received in 2012. The district ranked at no. 16 in 2011. 

Superintendent Dr. Tracy Vitale said district officials were elated to learn the news Friday when the findings were made public.

“We have made significant changes, in a short amount of time, that are certainly evident in these rankings,” she said. “I am most proud of our students; they work hard and are very involved in making Seneca Valley one of the best school districts in the region.” 

This year marks Seneca Valley’s return as the highest-scoring district in Butler County.

In 2012, that honor went to Mars Area School District, which ranked no. 13 on the Pittsburgh Business Times list of top schools. This year, Mars, has fallen to no. 19.

The region’s top five districts were unchanged from last year. Upper St. Clair was again ranked no. 1 in the area while Mt. Lebanon and North Allegheny retained the no. 2 and no. 3 spots.

To come up with the rankings, the newspaper analyzed all the school districts' performances based on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment Exam results.

Pittsburgh Business Times looked at three years of scores, with the current year given the most weight.

Vitale noted students would not have been able to achieve their academic success without support from caring adults.

“Therefore, I would like to commend our employees on the front line: our teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, secretaries, custodians, cafeteria workers and bus drivers collectively care deeply for our children and go to great lengths to help them succeed,” she said.

Vitale also thanked parents, the school board and the tax payers who fund the district for their continued support.

“All of these factors combined, permit us to continue climbing in the rankings,” she said.

She also reminded the public that the rankings focus on test scores only—Seneca Valley has much more to offer.

“While it is nice to be recognized for good test scores, one should be cognizant that there are many more things that we do at Seneca Valley that contribute to the training and education of creating responsible, well-educated citizens,” she said.

Below are the top 15 ranked school districts in the Pittsburgh area:

1. Upper St. Clair School District
2. Mt. Lebanon School District
3. North Allegheny School District
4. Hampton Township School District
5. South Fayette Township School District
6. Fox Chapel Area School District
7. Peters Township School District
8. Quaker Valley School District
9. Franklin Regional School District
10. Pine-Richland School District
11. Penn-Trafford School District
12. Seneca Valley School District
13. Bethel Park School District
14. Norwin School District
15. West Jefferson Hills School District

What are your thoughts on the Pittsburgh Business Times' 2013 rankings? Tell us in the comments.

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