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Penn Hills Senior High School

Public Grades 9-12

574^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 16% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Penn Hills Senior High School is a public high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serving 1,090 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Penn Hills School District, which is ranked 529 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, Penn Hills Senior High School consistently ranks in the bottom half of Pennsylvania high schools, with only 12.7% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in Algebra I, 24.9% in Biology, and 45.1% in Literature on the Keystone Exams. The school's four-year graduation rate ranges from 81.5% to 87.9%, lower than the state average, and its dropout rate has fluctuated between 0.4% and 2.3%. Notably, the school has a very high percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 87.9% to 99.91% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.

When compared to nearby schools, Penn Hills Senior High School's performance is significantly worse. For example, Fox Chapel Area High School, located just 4.61 miles away, consistently ranks in the top 5% of Pennsylvania high schools and has much higher proficiency rates on Keystone Exams, with over 89% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature. Despite the relatively high per-student spending at Penn Hills Senior High School, ranging from $15,630 to $39,723 over the past few years, the school's academic outcomes have not improved.

1,049

Students ?

18.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,604

Per pupil spending ?

103.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

309 Collins Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15235

(412) 793-7000

District: Penn Hills School District

Feeder schools for Penn Hills Senior High School:

Elementary:	Penn Hills Elementary School
Middle:	Linton Middle School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

67.0%

White:

18.7%

Two or more races:

7.7%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Penn Hills Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2015 → 16th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (28% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Pennsylvania average (83% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg27%

Pennsylvania avg52%

574^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 16%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

529^th of 606Penn Hills School District among Pennsylvania districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.3	574 of 681	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	627 of 686	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	569 of 674	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.7	520 of 634	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.7	464 of 537	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	15.2	580 of 693	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.3	574 of 673	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	18.5	550 of 663	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	18.8	571 of 677	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	19.0	562 of 680	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	11.6	520 of 580	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.5	504 of 591	14.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	26.2	547 of 664	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.1	542 of 660	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.9	474 of 649	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	24.5	540 of 632	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	26.4	519 of 621	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	30.0	507 of 615	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	49.6	377 of 604	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2005	35.5	461 of 593	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	28.8	472 of 590	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	46.9	376 of 583	35.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	32.2	177 of 276	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.7	231 of 284	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.5	189 of 260	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	21.1	427 of 524	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	466 of 513	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	425 of 502	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	13.6	568 of 657	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	603 of 665	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	20.9	538 of 651	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	598 of 664	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.4	564 of 652	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	16.5	550 of 660	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.2	608 of 662	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	40.1	96 of 165	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	19.6	123 of 150	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	22.1	480 of 583	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	10.5	551 of 595	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	37.4	384 of 577	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Multi-racial (2025)42nd percentile+26 vs school

African American (2025)36th percentile+20 vs school

Disabled (2025)19th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)18th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)17th percentile~ school

Male (2025)17th percentile~ school

Female (2025)14th percentile~ school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature45%-17 vs state

Biology25%-24 vs state

Algebra I13%-32 vs state

2.5

4 ratings · 4 written reviews

5★1

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★2

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What people are saying

by a student
Sunday, September 23, 2012

This school is average. Its not as great as I would like, but its not hard to get an education. I started going to PH in the 6th grade, and year after year, the problems stay the same, I didn't understand how stupid a school could be. Until I realized that it was the other kids. Most of the problems that occur is because of them, and sadly every year more and more bad kids come into PH and shoot canons at an already sunken ship. I say PH would be top notch if the other kids weren't so terrible. Close Quote

by a student
Thursday, September 13, 2012

I had a great experience at Penn Hills. My teachers prepared me (and my sister) very well for college. I wasn't a straight-A student or a football star, just a regular kid in regular classes. I won't pretend that my school is perfect. We have a lot of poor kids and a lot of kids with bad families. I know that makes our average grades and test scores lower. But if you're a good kid and you want to do well, you will have a great time at Penn Hills. Close Quote

by a citizen
Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Horrible school and district. Spend money on buildings and kids can't read or write. I can't hire these kids because they can't do math and don't understand how to learn. They can surf the internet though. Close Quote

by a student
Saturday, March 14, 2009

Penn Hills High School isn't the place you want to send your son or daughter. The teachers there dislike to teacher and give the students class work to use up class time. The guards in the school use to much force on the students to stop fighting that starts. At times used to much force on female and pregnant females slamming them on to floors or in to tables. Fights would happen daily no matter what. the school has many cameras around in the halls but the guards ether don't watch them or the camera are not working. most classes turn in to study halls meaning you don't learn a thing and sleep all day. Lunches are like at most 30 minutes long 15 minutes in line and 15 minutes to eat. The halls are other crowded and student to teacher ratio is less than this site really says. most times the school dosent even have the money to by books for the students let alone have a class set for everyone. Seems the money that they get only goes to the football team and nothing else, unless its grants for computers that do not work because the IT people do not care or are just plain to lazy to run the schools servers the right way, so you never have internet or cant save your work to the server so you can access it later.Take it from a Ex. student from the school you do not want your kids to go to Penn Hills High School. Close Quote

Schools Near Penn Hills Senior High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	PSSA Math (2025)				PSSA English Language Arts (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Penn Hills Senior High School	Public	9-12	309 Collins Drive	Pittsburgh	15235	Allegheny County	Penn Hills School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 793-7000	1,049	56	18.7	103.8%	196 (18.7%)	703 (67.0%)	56 (5.3%)	9 (0.9%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	81 (7.7%)	15.3	574^th of 681 public high schools	15.7%		7.1	627^th of 686 public high schools	8.6%	53	12.7	24.9	45.1									$14,604	$2,165	$12,439
Woodland Hills High School	Public	9-12	2550 Greensburg Pike	Pittsburgh	15221	Allegheny County	Woodland Hills School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 244-1100	1,006	68	14.8	66.1%	271 (26.9%)	599 (59.5%)	46 (4.6%)	9 (0.9%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	80 (8.0%)	16	569^th of 681 public high schools	16.4%		11.9	589^th of 686 public high schools	14.1%	20	20.1	30.9	34.9									$44,905	$3,970	$40,936
Forbes Road Career and Technology Center	Public	9-12	607 Beatty Road	Monroeville	15146	Allegheny County	Forbes Road Career and Technology Center	No	No	No	No	(412) 373-8100	19	29	.6	84.2%	12 (63.2%)	3 (15.8%)	2 (10.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (10.5%)								(n/a)
Plum Senior High School	Public	9-12	900 Elicker Rd	Plum	15239	Allegheny County	Plum Borough School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 795-4880	1,220	70	17.4	31.8%	1,039 (85.2%)	77 (6.3%)	27 (2.2%)	12 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	63 (5.2%)	67.8	233^rd of 681 public high schools	65.8%		53.4	360^th of 686 public high schools	47.5%	127	44.3	64.5	68.1									$14,707	$440	$14,267
Gateway Senior High School	Public	9-12	3000 Gateway Campus Blvd	Monroeville	15146	Allegheny County	Gateway School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 373-5740	1,152	78	14.6	98.0%	527 (45.7%)	375 (32.6%)	58 (5.0%)	82 (7.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	108 (9.4%)	72.6	187^th of 681 public high schools	72.5%		65.7	241^st of 686 public high schools	64.9%	54	47.7	58.8	78.0									$25,901	$120	$25,781
Spectrum Charter School	Public, Charter	7-12	4369 Northern Pike	Monroeville	15146	Allegheny County	Spectrum Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(412) 374-8130	60	8	7.8		34 (56.7%)	17 (28.3%)	3 (5.0%)	1 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (8.3%)								(n/a)												$35,170	$1,143	$34,027
Riverview Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	100 Hulton Rd	Oakmont	15139	Allegheny County	Riverview School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 828-1800	441	37	11.9	36.5%	362 (82.1%)	30 (6.8%)	11 (2.5%)	6 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	30 (6.8%)	62.2	278^th of 681 public high schools	59.2%		45	429^th of 686 public high schools	37.5%	151	38.6	55.9	71.9		60.0	42.6	51.8		68.0	63.2	65.8	$34,110	$1,826	$32,283
Pittsburgh Westinghouse	Public	6-12	1101 N. Murtland Avenue	Pittsburgh	15208	Allegheny County	Pittsburgh School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 529-3940	573	56	10.1	103.7%	14 (2.4%)	520 (90.8%)	22 (3.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.6%)	5.6	630^th of 681 public high schools	7.5%		4	650^th of 686 public high schools	5.2%	20	8.0	14.1	29.2	2.9	2.8	5.6	4.0	19.5	23.9	39.1	29.0	$35,156	$6,021	$29,135
Fox Chapel Area High School	Public	9-12	611 Field Club Rd	Pittsburgh	15238	Allegheny County	Fox Chapel Area School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 967-2430	1,360	94	14.5	22.6%	1,066 (78.4%)	43 (3.2%)	68 (5.0%)	111 (8.2%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (5.2%)	97.7	4^th of 681 public high schools	99.4%		96.7	7^th of 686 public high schools	99.0%	3	89.8	91.7	92.0									$26,325	$61	$26,264
Westinghouse Arts Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	320 Marguerite Avenue	Wilmerding	15148	Allegheny County	Westinghouse Arts Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(412) 646-1718	282	22	12.8	122.0%	147 (52.1%)	93 (33.0%)	12 (4.3%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (9.9%)	31.7	492^nd of 681 public high schools	27.8%		45	428^th of 686 public high schools	37.6%	64	19.5	27.5	64.2									$15,231	$1,485	$13,746

Frequently Asked Questions about Penn Hills Senior High School

Is Penn Hills Senior High School a good school?

Penn Hills Senior High School ranks in the bottom 15.7% of Pennsylvania high schools.

What district is Penn Hills Senior High School in?

Penn Hills School District

What is the racial makeup of Penn Hills Senior High School?

Students at Penn Hills Senior High School are 67% African American, 19% White, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

How many students attend Penn Hills Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,049 students attended Penn Hills Senior High School.

What schools feed into Penn Hills Senior High School?

Penn Hills Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Penn Hills Elementary School
Middle : Linton Middle School

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.