South Fayette Named “Academic Outperformer” by Standard & Poor’s

In recent years, South Fayette School District has been considered among the top schools – not only in Allegheny County, but in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In 2005, South Fayette was named by Standard & Poor’s as the 8th highest achieving district in the state, a ranking improved last year to number 3, and this fall South Fayette has earned the distinction of being named an academic “outperformer” by Standard & Poor’s School Evaluation Services. South Fayette is one of 55 districts in Pennsylvania to receive this recognition.

An outperforming school district is one that reports significantly higher percentages of students who are proficient or above on state reading and math tests when compared to other school districts in Pennsylvania with similar levels of economically disadvantaged students. While these districts must repeat this performance over a two-year period, this is the third consecutive year that South Fayette has outperformed.

“This is a great tribute to the dedicated students, staff, and School Board of South Fayette,” said Dr. Linda Hippert, Superintendent of Schools. “Most importantly, this is a special recognition for our students who demonstrate their abilities and are motivated to always do their best. We are all very proud.”

In the most recent PSSA testing period (2005-2006), South Fayette’s students once again distinguished themselves among their peers. The 6th grade students ranked first in the state in Math (the second consecutive year for these students); and the 5th, 6th and 7th grade students ranked first in Allegheny County in Math. South Fayette’s 6th grade students also ranked first in Allegheny County in Reading. Across all testing grades (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11), South Fayette students consistently scored better than state averages in both reading and math.

Please visit www.schoolmatters.com to view the independent analysis from Standard & Poor’s.