The Derry Area School District is one of many school districts under the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The Derry Area School District is located 35 miles east of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

, PA. The school district serves the municipalities Derry Township

Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Derry Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It surrounds the Borough of Derry, which is a separate municipality...

, Derry Borough

Derry, Pennsylvania

Derry is a borough in Westmoreland County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh. The Borough of Derry, consisting of the town area, should not be confused with Derry Township, which is a separate municipality surrounding the borough. In 1900, the population numbered 2,347, and in...

 and the Borough of New Alexandria

New Alexandria, Pennsylvania

New Alexandria is a borough in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 595 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Alexandria is located at ....

. The district operates one High School, one Middle School and three Elementary Schools all located in Derry Township.

Elementary schools

There are three elementary schools, all located in Derry Township

Derry Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

Derry Township is a township in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It surrounds the Borough of Derry, which is a separate municipality...

. They ALL Serve Grades K and 1. Grandview Elementary serves students in Grades 2-5 from all the school's attendance areas. After the 10-11 school year, Loyalhanna Elementary and New Derry Elementary will close. Grandview is currently undergoing renovations to accommodate the increase of students during the 11-12 school year. After the renovations are complete, all students Grades k-5 will go to Grandview Elementary.

School	Address	Telephone #
Grandview Elementary	188 Recreation Rd. Derry, Pennsylvania 15627	(724) 694-2900
Loyalhanna Elementary	314 Loyalhanna School Rd. Latrobe, Pennsylvania 15650	(724) 537-6751
New Derry Elementary	314 Pittsburgh St. New Derry, Pennsylvania 15671	(724) 694-5771

Derry Area Middle / High School

The Derry Area Middle / High School share one complex, near Derry, Pennsylvania

Derry, Pennsylvania

Derry is a borough in Westmoreland County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh. The Borough of Derry, consisting of the town area, should not be confused with Derry Township, which is a separate municipality surrounding the borough. In 1900, the population numbered 2,347, and in...

.

School Name / Grade Range	Address / Telephone	Administrators
Derry Area Middle School (Grades 6-8)	994 N. Chestnut St. Ext Derry, Pennsylvania 15627 (724) 694-8231	Principal: Ms. Cheryl A. Walters Associate Principal: Mr. Jeffrey W. Metzger
Derry Area High School Grades 9-12	988 N. Chestnut St. Ext. Derry, Pennsylvania 15627 (724) 694-2780	Principal: Mrs. Kathy L. Perry Associate Principal: Mr. Christopher S. Campbell Dean of Students: Lisa Dubich

Academic achievement

The school district was ranked 42nd out of 105 Western Pennsylvania School Districts in 2009 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on three years of student academic performance on the PSSA

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is a standardized test administered to public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are assessed in reading skills and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing skills...

s for: math, reading, writing and 1 year of science. In 2008, the school ranked 42nd out of 105 western Pennsylvania school districts. It was ranked 153rd out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts in 2007.

Graduation Rate:

2009 - 92%

2008 - 92%

2007 - 92%

High school

The high school ranked 44th out of 123 western Pennsylvania high schools, by the Pittsburgh Business Times in 2009, for academic achievement as reflected by three years of 11th grade results on: math, reading, writing and one year of science PSSAs.

PSSA Results

11th Grade Reading

2009 - 69% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.

2008 - 68%, State - 65%

11th Grade Math:

2009 - 59% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.

2008 - 56%, State - 56%

11th Grade Science:

2009 - 38% on grade level. State: 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.

2008 - 37%

College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pennsylvania Department of Education

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is the executive department of the state charged with K-12 and adult educational budgeting, management and guidelines. As the state education agency, its activities are directed by Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, Gerald L. Zahorchak...

 study released in January 2009, 18% of the Derry Area School District 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

Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a large public university system in the United States. It is the tenth-largest university system in the United States and 43rd largest in the world...

 or community colleges.

Dual enrollment

The high school offers a Dual Enrollment program. This state program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. Students remain enrolled at their high school. The courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities at their high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offers a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.

For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $3,197 for the program.

Middle school

In 2009, the 8th grade was ranked 53rd out of 141 western Pennsylvania middle schools based on three years of student academic achievement in PSSA

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is a standardized test administered to public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are assessed in reading skills and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing skills...

s in: reading, math writing and one year of science. (Includes schools in: Allegheny County

Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...

, Beaver County

Beaver County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...

, Butler County

Butler County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 174,083 people, 65,862 households, and 46,827 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile . There were 69,868 housing units at an average density of 89 per square mile...

, Fayette County

Fayette County, Pennsylvania

Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the2010 census, the population was 136,606. The county is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, Westmoreland County

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...

, and Washington County

Washington County, Pennsylvania

-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...

Extracurriculars

The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports.

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, 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.

Athletic Teams

Sport	Boys	Girls
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...	Class AAA	Class AAA
Baseball Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...	Class AAA
Cross Country Cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...	Class AAA	Class AAA
Football American football American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...	Class AAA
Golf Golf Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....	Class AAAA	Class AAAA
Soccer	Class AA	Class AAA
Softball Softball Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...		Class AAA
Swimming Swimming (sport) Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...  and Diving Diving Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...	Class AA	Class AA
Tennis		Class AA
Track and Field Track and field Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...	Class AAA	Class AAA
Volleyball Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...	Class AA	Class AA
Wrestling Wrestling Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...	Class AA

Vocational - Technical School

Students in Grades 10-12 in Derry Area have the opportunity to attend the Eastern Westmoreland Career and Technology Center in Derry Township