Sep 19, 2022 5 min read

Bethel Park High School has been selected as a 2022 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education.

The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.

The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program recognizes schools in two categories:

• Exemplary High Performing Schools, or those schools that are among a state’s highest-performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally-normed tests
• Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools, or schools that have made significant progress in closing achievement gaps between subgroups and all students over the past five years.

Bethel Park High School is being recognized as an Exemplary High Performing School.

“We are humbled to be named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education,” said Joseph Villani, Bethel Park High School principal. “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.

In 2022, Bethel Park High School had a 99 percent graduation rate with 91 percent of graduates enrolled in post-secondary institutions or apprenticeships and approximately nine percent enlisting in the military or entering Pennsylvania’s workforce.

In Keystone tested subjects, over the past four years, the composite scores of Bethel Park students have risen by a minimum of 5 percent in the core areas of Math, Science and English.

That dramatic improvement along with other achievements in standardized tests and student supports played a significant role in this recognition. It also contributed to Bethel Park High School’s rise to No. 14 in the Pittsburgh Business Times’ most recent rankings of all area schools.

Bethel Park High School offers numerous rigorous courses, including 19 advanced placement courses, 13 college and high school offerings and 32 honors courses.

Beginning with the 2021-2022 School Year, Bethel Park High School has partnered with the National Math + Science Initiative (NMSI) to encourage more student involvement in AP instruction and assessments. In 2022, 168 students chose to take AP exams with a total of 299 AP exams, a 30 percent increase over the previous year. Of those exams, 74.4 percent of students earned a qualifying score, a 3.4 percent increase from 2021.

“This is indeed a tremendous honor for the entire Bethel Park community: to have our flagship school honored nationally speaks to the great commitment of this community to a ‘Best in Class’ education. I am extremely proud of the administration and faculty, and most of all our students, for earning this incredible distinction for all of Bethel Park,” said Dr. James Walsh, Bethel Park School District superintendent.

With its 39th cohort, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed awards to approximately 9,000 schools nationally since 1982. In 2022, Bethel Park High School joins Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush in Philadelphia to become just the 36th and 37th Pennsylvania high schools to receive this distinction.

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