About Us

The Bethel Park School District

The award-winning Bethel Park School District contains eight schools--five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.  The elementary schools are organized by neighborhood.  Total district enrollment is 4,237.

Bethel Park students annually exceed the state and national averages on the ACT and SAT tests and the state averages on the PSSA Tests and Keystone Exams. 

The district has a solid reputation for providing quality instruction and exposing students to a variety of academic subjects, enhanced by a strong technology program, that includes computers and Internet access in all classrooms.  In 2015-2016 the District completed its One-to-One Technology Initiative that placed take-home Chromebooks in the hands of all Bethel Park students in grades 7-12, with one-to-one Chromebooks that remain in the classrooms for students in grades 2-6 and electronic devices on classroom carts for students in grades K-1.

 

A new Bethel Park High School was constructed and opened in 2012, earning Green Globe certification for environmentally conscious construction.  The school was built to facilitate student instruction and is a 21st century learning facility, incorporating technology, space flexibility as well as environmental consciousness.  The four-floor academic wing features 95 performance based classrooms that have been designed to promote collaboration, information sharing, creative problem solving, critical thinking, communication, fluency and decision making to help students to succeed in their future careers.

 

The high school also features four STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) Innovation Studios that focus on the 4C's--critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity.  The STEAM culture is prevalent in all Bethel Park schools, as student begin to look at STEAM careers as early as the elementary level.

 

At the high school, 18 Advanced Placement courses are offered in American history, European history, English literature, English language, United States government and politics, psychology, biology, chemistry, physics, calculus AB, calculus BC, statistics, macroeconomics, computer programming in Java, music theory, Spanish, French, German and Latin. Twenty-nine Honors courses are offered as well.  On AP Exams, 84 percent of Bethel Park students, who tested, earn qualifying scores for college credit.

Bethel Park High School also offers classes that earn college credit.  BPHS students also have the opportunity to take certain classes via distance learning--electronically and through dual enrollment.
 

The District also offers an Online Academy that students can attend either full or part time.  Students who attend the BPOA can participate in district extracurricular activities and graduate with a Bethel Park High School diploma.

 

Extracurricular opportunities are plentiful and increase with each grade level.  In addition to athletics (28 varsity, 18 junior varsity, 2 freshman, 7 junior high, 12 middle school teams and 3 club sports), there are more than 12 clubs and activities available to students at the middle schools and over 30 at the high school.  The high school produces a fall play and spring musical, in which more than 150 students participate.  Independence Middle School also produces a spring musical.

 

The Bethel Park Music Department is recognized as one of the leading music programs in the state, being named one of the Best Communities for Music Education by the National Association for Music Merchants.  Music is offered in grades 1-12, with beginning band and orchestra offered starting in fourth grade.  Students in grades 9-12 take advantage of a comprehensive music curriculum by studying, creating and performing music that develops music reading skills, individual performance skills, ensemble performance skills, musical understanding and artistry.  Bethel Park music ensembles perform regularly in the community and in national competitions, earning first place rankings, superior ratings and best overall ensemble awards.

 

Parent involvement at all schools is high, with active PTA, PTO and PTSO groups functioning in the schools and meeting monthly as a Council to discuss district-wide issues and share information.  Sports and Club Booster Groups actively promote the district’s teams and organizations.  Community involvement is encouraged with residents given the opportunity to participate on a variety of committees, such as the Comprehensive Plan, Wellness and Crisis Management Committees.

The Pittsburgh Business Times ranked the Bethel Park School District #13 among the 103 school districts in Western Pennsylvania, based solely on the Pennsylvania State System of Assessment (PSSA) Test Scores and Grade 11 Keystone Exams for the past three years.

According to the Business Times, Bethel Park High School was ranked #14 of 112 high schools; Independence Middle School eighth graders were ranked #14 of 145 schools and seventh graders ranked #14 of 147 schools.  Neil Armstrong Middle School sixth graders were ranked #14 of 193 and fifth graders #17 of 260.  Bethel Park fourth graders ranked #32 out of 292 schools and third graders #28 out of 303 schools.  Among the 494 school districts ranked in Pennsylvania, Bethel Park was #56.

 

Nerd Wallet named the Bethel Park School District the #18 Best for Your Buck School District in Pennsylvania.