Stroudsburg High School

In 2013, Stroudsburg Area School District's graduation rate was 87%.[6] In 2012, Stroudsburg High School's graduation rate was reported as 88%.[7] In 2011, Stroudsburg High School graduation rate was 88%.[8] In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Stroudsburg High School's rate was 88.11% for 2010.[9]

According to traditional graduation rate calculations

• 2010 - 88% [10]
• 2009 - 88% [11]
• 2008 - 88% [12]
• 2007 - 88% [13]

Stroudsburg High School never achieved Adequate Yearly progress from 2003 through 2012 inclusive. In 2012, Stroudsburg High School declined to Corrective Action II 5th Year due to low graduation rate and poor math and reading achievement.[14] Due to its low academic performance, Stroudsburg High School administration was required by the federal No Child Left Behind law to offer the opportunity to students to transfer to a successful high school in the district. Letters were sent to each student's parents informing them of the school's low outcomes. The school's administration was required to develop a School Improvement Plan and submit it to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for approval. The school was eligible for federal School Improvement Grants funding each year.

• 2011 - Making Progress: in Corrective Action II status due to lagging student achievement especially among male students.
• 2010 - declined to Corrective Action II 4th Year status due to chronic, low student achievement in reading and math.[15]
• 2009 - declined to Corrective Action II 3rd Year status[16]
• 2008 - declined to Corrective Action II 2nd Year status
• 2007 - declined to Corrective Action II 1st Year status
• 2006 - declined to Corrective Action I status
• 2005 - declined to School Improvement level II status
• 2004 - declined to School Improvement level I status
• 2003 - Warning AYP status due to lagging student achievement in reading and math and a low graduation rate

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 19% of the Stroudsburg High School 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.[38] 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.[39] 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.

In 2016, Stroudsburg High School offered 11 Advanced Placement (AP) courses at a higher cost than regular courses. Students have the option of taking College Board approved courses and then taking the College Board's examination in the Spring. Students, who achieve a 3 or better on the exam, may be awarded college credits at US universities and colleges. Each higher education institution sets its own standards about what level of credits are awarded to a student based on their AP exam score. Most higher education give credits for scores of 4 or 5. Some schools also give credits for scores of 3. Stroudsburg High School gives credits towards graduation to students who take the school's AP class. At Stroudsburg High School 15% of students who took an AP course earned a 3 or better on the exam.[40]

In 2013, Stroudsburg Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 495. The Math average score was 493. The Writing average score was 477. The College Board reported that statewide scores were: 494 in reading, 504 in math and 482 in writing. The nationwide SAT results were the same as in 2012.[41]

In 2012, Stroudsburg Area School District students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 490. The Math average score was 489. The Writing average score was 472. The statewide Verbal SAT exams results were: Verbal 491, Math 501, Writing 480. In the USA, 1.65 million students took the exams achieving scores: Verbal 496, Math 514, Writing 488. According to the College Board the maximum score on each section was 800, and 360 students nationwide scored a perfect 2,400.

In 2011, 327 Stroudsburg High School students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 492. The Math average score was 499. The Writing average score was 474.[42] Pennsylvania ranked 40th among states with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479.[43] In the United States 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 (out of 800) verbal, 514 math and 489 in writing.[44]

Since 2006, Stroudsburg 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 and programs at their high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate.[45] Stroudsburg Area School District has entered into a Dual Enrollment partnership with Northampton Community College. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, many Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to their institutions.[46]

Stroudsburg Area School Board has determined that a pupil must earn 25 credits to graduate including: Math 4 credits, English 4 credits, social studies 3 credits, science 3 credits, Physical Education 1 credit, Arts and Humanities 2 credits, Career planning 0.5 credit, Survey of Ecology and Engineering 0.5 credits and electives 4 credits,. In addition, students must demonstrate proficiency in the PSSA tests for reading, writing, and mathematics in order to qualify for a high school diploma: a score of proficient or better on PSSA tests in grade 11 or a score of proficient or better on PSSA senior year make-up tests.

By law, all Pennsylvania secondary school students must complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district.[47] At SHS the Graduation Project is focused on life planning and career exploration. Effective with the graduating class of 2017, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education eliminated the state mandate that students complete a culminating project in order to graduate.[48]

By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, beginning with the class of 2017, public school students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, and English Literature by passing the Keystone Exams.[49] The exam is given at the end of the course. Keystone Exams replace the PSSAs for 11th grade.[50]

Students have several opportunities to pass the exam. Schools are mandated to provide targeted assistance to help the student be successful. Those who do not pass after several attempts can perform a project in order to graduate.[51][52] For the class of 2019, a Composition exam will be added. For the class of 2020, passing a civics and government exam will be added to the graduation requirements.[53] In 2011, Pennsylvania high school students field tested the Algebra 1, Biology and English Lit exams. The statewide results were: Algebra 1 38% on grade level, Biology 35% on grade level and English Lit - 49% on grade level.[54] Individual student, school or district reports were not made public, although they were reported to district officials by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students identified as having special needs and qualifying for an Individual Educational Program (IEP) may graduate by meeting the requirements of their IEP.

Students who live in the Stroudsburg Area School District's attendance area may choose to attend one of Pennsylvania's 157 public charter schools. A student living in a neighboring public school district or a foreign exchange student may seek admission to Stroudsburg Area School District. For these cases, the Pennsylvania Department of Education sets an annual tuition rate for each school district. It is the amount the public school district pays to a charter school for each resident student that attends the charter and it is the amount a nonresident student's parents must pay to attend the district's schools. The 2012 tuition rates for Stroudsburg Area School District were Elementary School - $11,739.10, High School - $11,883.72.[55] The tuition rate increased to $12,655 for Stroudsburg High School, in 2013.

Stroudsburg Area School Board established a district-wide wellness policy in 2006.[56] The policy deals with nutritious meals served at school, the control of access to some foods and beverages during school hours, age appropriate nutrition education for all students, and physical education for students K-12. The policy is in response to state mandates and federal legislation (P.L. 108 – 265). The law dictates that each school district participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) "shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006." Most districts identified the superintendent and school foodservice director as responsible for ensuring local wellness policy implementation.[57]

The legislation placed the responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level so the individual needs of each district can be addressed. According to the requirements for the Local Wellness Policy, school districts must set goals for nutrition education, physical activity, campus food provision, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, districts were required to involve a broad group of individuals in policy development and to have a plan for measuring policy implementation. Districts were offered a choice of levels of implementation for limiting or prohibiting low nutrition foods on the school campus. In final implementation these regulations prohibit some foods and beverages on the school campus.[58] The Pennsylvania Department of Education required the district to submit a copy of the policy for approval.

Stroudsburg High School offers both a free school breakfast and a free or reduced-price lunch to children in low-income families. All students attending the school can eat breakfast and lunch. Children from families with incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level are provided a breakfast and lunch at no cost to the family. Children from families with incomes between 130 and 185 percent of the federal poverty level can be charged no more than 30 cents per breakfast. A foster child whose care and placement is the responsibility of the State or who is placed by a court with a caretaker household is eligible for both a free breakfast and a free lunch. Runaway, homeless and Migrant Youth are also automatically eligible for free meals.[59] The meals are partially funded with federal dollars through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).[60]

In 2013, the USDA issued new restrictions to foods in public schools. The rules apply to foods and beverages sold on all public school district campuses during the day. They limit vending machine snacks to a maximum of 200 calories per item. Additionally, all snack foods sold at school must meet competitive nutrient standards, meaning they must have fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein in them or contain at least 10 percent of the daily value of fiber, calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D.[61] In order to comply with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 all US public school districts are required to raise the price of their school lunches to $2.60 regardless of the actual cost of providing the lunch.[62] In 2014, President Obama ordered a prohibition of advertisements for unhealthy foods on public school campuses during the school day.[63] The Food and Drug Administration requires that students take milk as their beverage at lunch. In accordance with this law, any student requesting water in place of milk with their lunch must present a written request, signed by a doctor, documenting the need for water instead of milk.[64]

Stroudsburg Area School District provides health services as mandated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the federal government. Nurses are available in each building to conduct annual health screenings (data reported to the PDE and state Department of Health) and to dispense prescribed medications to students during the school day. Students can be excluded from school unless they comply with all the State Department of Health’s extensive immunization mandates. School nurses monitor each pupil for this compliance.[65][66] Nurses also monitor each child's weight.

Stroudsburg High School has a long-standing rivalry with East Stroudsburg South High School dating back to 1945. Every year on Thanksgiving a rivalry game is played, known locally as the Turkey Day Game, for the honor of keeping "The Little Brown Jug" for the next school year. If the victor of the game is the visiting team, the Jug is carried on foot the two miles through both towns back to their home school. As of Thanksgiving 2011, Stroudsburg maintains the lead over East Stroudsburg with a record of 35-26-5. Over the last few years a growing rivalry has begun between Stroudsburg High School and Pleasant Valley High School (Pennsylvania). All three schools compete vigorously for the Mountain Valley Conference championship in many sport competitions.

The Stroudsburg Area School District offers an extensive number of clubs, activities and a publicly funded sports program.[67] Eligibility for participation is determined by school board policy and in compliance with standards set by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA).

According to Pennsylvania’s Safety in Youth Sports Act, all sports coaches, paid and volunteer, are required to annually complete the Concussion Management Certification Training and present the certification before coaching.[68][69]

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students residing 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.[70]

These activities include:

The school newspaper, The Mountaineer, is a recipient of the Pennsylvania School Press Association Gold Award for Overall Excellence. Its staff consistently receives high-ranking awards for its in-depth coverage of school and teen related topics. Its current adviser is Mr. Matthew Sobrinski. In the past, it was funded entirely through local advertisers and sold for fifty cents to the student body. However, in the 2007–2008 school year, school funding has allowed the staff to disseminate the periodical to every student in the building.

Five issues are typically printed each year through the local newspaper, the Pocono Record. The front, center, and back are full color pages. The final issue of the year lists the future plans for all graduating seniors, whether they intend on continuing their education, joining a branch of the military, or obtaining a job.

With an influx of new students, the district had expressed the need for a new building. Residents had debated whether the current building should be renovated or whether a new building should be built to accommodate this growth. In April 2008, members of the school board voted 5–4 in favor of renovating the existing high school on West Main Street.

As of January 2012, a newly built section was opened to students. This section host the new gymnasium, which can hold about 4,000 people; library/media center; up-to-date science labs, art rooms, and workshops; and a film studio.

In the spring of 2008 the school district discovered that the current dress code which had formerly only banned the wearing of ripped or sagged jeans on boys, and the wearing of revealing clothes on girls, was being flagrantly violated. In response to this, it was proposed that there be a standardized dress policy consisting of khaki or black pants and skirts and polos in either black, white, or maroon. This policy was immensely unpopular among parents, teachers, and students alike and sparked an online protest group apply named Stroudsburg Students Against The Dress Code.[72] This group produced little real protest, besides making limited appearances at school district meetings and convincing students to wear black arm bands for a short period of time, the group was unsuccessful, and the policy went into effect on August 30, 2008.[73] Initially, students questioned whether or not this new dress code was an infringement on their right to free speech. In large part, the dress code was reported to have increased problems rather than solving them because of its inability to define what was considered appropriate, and its ambiguous enforcement. In the spring of 2009, the administration released findings that showed the dress code had caused disciplinary referrals to decrease by 1000, but this recent statistic has been thrown into question by many staff members as well as students due to the fact that it did not include any of the violations for dress code. The figures from the past years, however, did include dress code violations, and there were many more violations in 2009.

• Stroudsburg High School Official Website