Bradford Area High School is a public high school providing grades 9-12. It is located in Bradford, Pennsylvania, in the north central region of the Commonwealth. The current principal is David Ray. In 2010 the enrollment was 941. The Pennsylvania Department of Education has projected enrollment will decline to 700 for the Class of 2020. The demographics of the students body are: 95% of the students are white, while 1% are black, 1% are Hispanic, 1% are Asian and 2% are American Indian.
Graduation rate
In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Bradford Area School District's rate was 93% for 2010. According to traditional graduation rate calculations:
2010 - 94%
2009 - 93%
2008 - 88%
Academic Achievement
In 2010, the high school was in Making Progress: in School Improvement I AYP status. In 2009, the school was in School Improvement I due to low student achievement. ;PSSA Results ;11th Grade Reading
2010 - 72% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 66% of 11th graders on grade level.
2009 - 64%, State - 65%
2008 - 60%, State - 65%
;11th Grade Math:
2010 - 82% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.
2009 - 45%, State - 56% 2008 - 51%, State - 56% ;11th Grade Science:
2010 - 33% on grade level. State - 39% of 11th graders were on grade level.
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 both 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. The PennsylvaniaCollege Credit Transfer System reported in 2009, that students saved nearly $35.4 million by having their transferred credits count towards a degree under the new system. For the 2009-10 funding year, the school district received a state grant of $15699 for the program.
Graduation requirements
The Bradford Area School Board has determined that a high school student must earn 25.8 credits in order to graduate, including: English 4 credits, Social Studies 4 credits, Mathematics 4 credits, Science 3 credits, Physical Education 1.6 credits, Health 0.6 credit, Freshman seminar 0.6 credit and 8 elective credits. All high school students must take a full year - 1 unit English course to meet their annual one credit requirement for graduation. The fourth year of high school is not required for graduation if a student has completed all requirements for graduation and attends a postsecondary institution as a full-time student. 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. Bradford Area High School graduation project has two parts: a written part and an oral presentation. By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, for the graduating classes of 2016, students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, English Composition, and Literature for which the Keystone Exams serve as the final course exams. Students’ Keystone Exam scores count for at least one-third of the final course grade.
The district offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports. Eligibility to participate is determined by school board policy. 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.
The athletics program has produced two known professional baseball players, Ben Copeland and Zachary Foster. The athletics program excels in their region and has graduated numerous athletes that have signed National Letters of Intent to play NCAA Division II and III sports at prestigious universities.
