North Penn School District

The North Penn School District (NPSD) is a large, suburban, regional public school district that consists of thirteen elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. It serves the North Penn Valley, a 42-square-mile (110 km2) area in the Montgomery County suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

North Penn School District
North Penn School District is in blue at the Northeast Central part of the county.
Address
401 E Hancock St

Lansdale
,
Montgomery, Bucks
,
Pennsylvania
19446-3960

United States
Information
TypePublic
School board9 locally elected members
SuperintendentCurt Dietrich
Faculty917 teachers
GradesK-12
Age5 years old to 21 years old for special ed.
Number of pupils2,684 (2009-10) [1]
 • Kindergarten757
 • Grade 1871
 • Grade 2927
 • Grade 3888
 • Grade 4976
 • Grade 51035
 • Grade 6966
 • Grade 71047
 • Grade 8990
 • Grade 91028
 • Grade 10997
 • Grade 11995
 • Grade 121019
 • OtherEnrollment was projected to be 11,284 in 2019[2]
LanguageEnglish
Hours in school day6.5
Colour(s)blue and dark blue
MascotKnight
Team nameKnights
Tuitionfor nonresident and charter school students ES - $11,406.17, HS - $12,737.51 [3]
Per pupil Spending$14,189 (2008)
Per Pupil Spending$14,820.87
Websitehttps://www.npenn.org
North Penn School District region in Montgomery County

The district serves the municipalities of North Wales Borough, Lansdale Borough, Hatfield Borough, Upper Gwynedd Township, Towamencin Township, Montgomery Township, and Hatfield Township. The Montgomeryville census-designated place is located in the district.

A small portion of Bucks County known as Line Lexington is also contained in the North Penn School District.

The district was created by merging smaller, local districts in 1956. North Penn High School is today one of the largest traditional public high schools in Pennsylvania.[4] The district enrollment for the 2006-2007 school year was 12,993. The district offers advanced placement curriculum and English as a second language.

The current president of the North Penn School District Board of Education is Tina Stoll, and the current superintendent is Curt Dietrich.

List of schools
  • North Penn High School, Towamencin Township
  • Northbridge School, Hatfield
  • Pennbrook Middle School, North Wales
  • Penndale Middle School, Lansdale
  • Pennfield Middle School, Hatfield
  • A.M. Kulp Elementary School, Hatfield
  • Bridle Path Elementary School, Montgomery Township
  • General Nash Elementary School, Towamencin Township
  • Gwyn Nor Elementary School, Upper Gwynedd Township
  • Gywnedd Square Elementary School, Lansdale
  • Hatfield Elementary School, Hatfield
  • Inglewood Elementary School, Towamencin Township
  • Knapp Elementary School, Lansdale
  • Montgomery Elementary School, Montgomery Township
  • North Wales Elementary School, North Wales
  • Oak Park Elementary School, Lansdale
  • Walton Farm Elementary School, Towamencin Township
  • York Avenue Elementary School, Lansdale

Academic achievement

Hypothetically speaking, North Penn School District was ranked 33rd out of the 498 ranked Pennsylvania school districts in 2012 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic performance as demonstrated in the last 3 years of PSSA results.[5] The ranking was based on student academic achievement as demonstrated on the last three years of the PSSAs for: reading, writing math and science.[6] The PSSAs are given to all children in grades 3rd through 8th and the 11th grade in high school. Adapted examinations are given to children in the special education programs

  • 2011 - 36th
  • 2010 - 38th [7]
  • 2009 - 37th
  • 2008 - 42nd [8]
  • 2007 - 49th out of 500 Pennsylvania schools districts in student academic achievement.[9]
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

It is possible that in 2010 and 2011, North Penn School District achieved AYP under No Child Left Behind.[10] In 2011, 94 percent of the 500 Pennsylvania public school districts achieved the No Child Left Behind Act progress level of 72% of students reading on grade level and 67% of students demonstrating on grade level math. In 2011, 46.9 percent of Pennsylvania school districts achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) based on student performance. An additional 37.8 percent of school districts made AYP based on a calculated method called safe harbor, 8.2 percent on the growth model and 0.8 percent on a two-year average performance.

Graduation rate

In 2011, North Penn School District's graduation rate was 95.6%.[11] In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4-year cohort graduation rate. North Penn High School's rate was 95.1% for 2010.[12]

  • 2011 - 96.4%
  • 2009 - 96% [13]
  • 2008 - 96% [14]
  • 2007 - 96% [15]

High school

North Penn High School is located at 1340 S Valley Forge Road, Lansdale, PA 19446. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010, the school reported an enrollment of 3,084 pupils in grades 10 through 12, with 467 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced-price lunch. The school employed 221 teachers, yielding a student–teacher ratio of 14:1.[16] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind and 4 teachers had emergency certification from the state department of education.[17] The former principal was Mr. Burton T. Hynes, commonly known by students as 'B.T.H.'. Todd Bauer replaced Hynes in early September 2015 after Hynes retired.[18]

In 2011, North Penn High School was in Making Progress: in Corrective Action II status due to lagging student achievement in reading and mathematics.[19] In 2010, North Penn Senior High School was in Corrective Action II First year status again due to low student achievement in reading and mathematics.[20] In 2009, the school was in Corrective Action II 1st Year for chronically low academic achievement of special need and low-income students.

PSSA Results:
11th Grade Reading:
  • 2009 - 79%, In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.[21]
  • 2008 - 81%, State - 65%
11th Grade Math:
  • 2009 - 73% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.[22]
  • 2008 - 74%, State - 56%

11th Grade Science:
2009 - 53% on grade level. State: 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.
2008 - 47% [23]

College Remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 39% of North Penn 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 or community colleges.[24] Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years.[25] 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.

Budget

In the 2011-2012 school year the district's total budget was $199 [26] In 2007, the district employed 844 teachers. The average teacher salary in the district was $66,919 for 181 days worked. This was $12,000 greater than the average salary for a teacher in Pennsylvania.[27] As of 2007, Pennsylvania ranked in the top 10 states in average teacher salaries. When adjusted for cost of living Pennsylvania ranked fourth in the nation for teacher compensation.[28] Additionally, the teachers receive a defined benefit pension, health insurance, professional development reimbursement, personal days, sick days, and other benefits.[29]

The district administrative costs per pupil in 2008 were $862.95 per pupil. The district ranked 130th of Pennsylvania's 501 school districts for administrative spending. The lowest administrative cost per pupil in Pennsylvania was $398 per pupil.[30]

The district is funded by a combination of: a local earned income tax, a property tax, a real estate transfer tax, coupled with substantial funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. Grants can provide an opportunity to supplement school funding without raising local taxes. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pension income and Social Security income are exempted from state personal income tax and local earned income tax, regardless of the income level.[31]

State basic education funding

In the 2009-2010 budget year the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 2.02% increase in Basic Education funding for a total of $8,895,702. Seventy five Pennsylvania School Districts received a 2% increase. Over 15 school districts received Basic Education Funding increases in excess of 10% in 2009. Muhlenberg School District in Berks County received the highest with a 22.31% increase in funding. The state's Basic Education Funding to the East Pennsboro Area School District in 2008-09 was $8,719,677.38.[32] The amount of increase each school district receives is determined by the Governor and the Secretary of Education through the allocation made in the budget proposal given in February each year.

Federal Stimulus funding

The district received an extra $1,346,099 in ARRA - Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low-income students.[33] This funding was for 2009 to 2011.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 1,581 students received free or reduced-price lunches due to low family income in the 2007-2008 school year.[34]

Race to the Top grant

School district officials did not apply for the Race to the Top federal grant which would have brought the district hundreds of thousands of additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement.[35] Participation required the administration, the school board and the local teachers' union to sign an agreement to prioritize improving student academic success. In Pennsylvania, 120 public school districts and 56 charter schools agreed to participate.[36] Pennsylvania was not approved in the first round of the grant. The failure of districts to agree to participate was cited as one reason that Pennsylvania was not approved. A second round of state RTTT application judging will occur in June 2010.[37]

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.[38]

References
  1. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Enrollment and Projections by LEA, July 2010
  2. Pennsylvania Department of Education (January 2009). "Enrollment and Projections by school district".
  3. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Pennsylvania Public School District Tuition Rates, May 2012
  4. https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/largest-enrollment/s/pennsylvania/
  5. Pittsburgh Business Times (April 6, 2012). "Guide to Pennsylvania Schools Statewide ranking". Archived from the original on October 16, 2012.
  6. "Statewide Honor Roll Rankings 2012". Pittsburgh Business Times. April 5, 2012. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012.
  7. Pittsburgh Business Times (September 29, 2011). "Statewide Honor Roll Rankings 2010".
  8. Pennsylvania Public School Rankings, Pittsburgh Business Times. May 2008.
  9. Three of top school districts in state hail from Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Business Times, May 23, 2007
  10. Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2011). "North Penn School District: AYP Overview 2011". Archived from the original on 2014-10-26. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  11. Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2011). "North Penn School District AYP Data Table". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  12. Pennsylvania Department of Education (March 15, 2011). "New 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate Calculation Now Being Implemented".
  13. Pennsylvania Department of Education, North Penn School District Academic Achievement Report Card 2009, September 14, 2009
  14. Pennsylvania Department of Education, North Penn School District Academic Achievement Report Card 2008, August 15, 2008
  15. Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, Pennsylvania High School Graduation 2007 Report
  16. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Care Data - North Penn High School, 2010
  17. Pennsylvania Department of Education, Professional Qualifications of Teachers North Penn High School, September 29, 2011
  18. "NPSD Welcomes New North Penn High School Principal". North Penn School District. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  19. Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2011). "North Penn High School Academic Report Card 2011". Archived from the original on 2011-12-15. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  20. Pennsylvania Department of Education, North Penn High School Academic Report Card 2010, October 20, 2010
  21. North Penn High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009
  22. 2009 PSSAs: Reading, Math, Writing and Science Results
  23. Pennsylvania Department of Education Report on Science PSSA 2008 August 2008.
  24. "Pennsylvania College Remediation Report". Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  25. National Center for Education Statistics
  26. "School Economics 101". North Penn School District. Archived from the original on 2012-01-13. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  27. Fenton, Jacob, Average classroom teacher salary in Montgomery County, 2006-07, The Morning Call. Accessed March 2009.
  28. Teachers need to know enough is enough, PaDelcoTimes, April 20, 2010.
  29. North Penn Professional Education Association Employment Contract 2009
  30. Fenton, Jacob. Pennsylvania School District Data: Will School Consolidation Save Money?, The Morning Call, Feb 2009.
  31. Pennsylvania Department of Finance Income Taxation Guidelines. Accessed April 2010
  32. Pennsylvania Department of Education Report on Funding by school district October 2009
  33. Montgomery County ARRA FUNDING website accessed April 2010.
  34. Pennsylvania Department of Education Funding Report by LEA 2009.
  35. Pennsylvania's 'Race to the Top' Fueled by Effective Reforms, Strong Local Support , January 20, 2010.
  36. Pennsylvania's 'Race to the Top' Fueled by Effective Reforms, Strong Local Support, Governor's Press Office release, January 20, 2010.
  37. Race to the Top Fund, U.S. Department of Education, March 29, 2010.
  38. Home-Schooled, Charter School Children Can Participate in School District Extracurricular Activities, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor Press Release, November 10, 2005
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