Performance Data

Pleasant Valley Elementary has been named the #1 Elementary School in Pennsylvania for 2026, according to U.S. News & World Report. This is the second consecutive year for the honor for PV and is based on student proficiency on state-required testing and how well the school serves all student populations. Bower Hill Elementary also ranked #6 on the 2026 elementary list with the Middle School ranking 7th across the state in their Middle School ranking as well. 

In their 2025 Annual Guide to Schools, the Pittsburgh Business Times has ranked Peters Township 3rd in our region and 5th overall across the state. This is the third consecutive year for the regional ranking and the second for the state level ranking.

The rankings are based on a proprietary formula including three years of standardized test scores for grades 3-8 (PSSAs) and high school (Keystone Exams). The local ranking includes public school districts in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties.

The National Merit Scholarship Program annually recognizes students nationwide based on their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT exam. In 2025-2026, three students were named semi-finalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Seniors  Allison Griffith, Calla Heinrich and Joshua Zheng are among an elite group of students from across the nation being considered for these scholarships. These students have been selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. 

In addition, 11 students from PTHS were named Commended Students in the annual National Merit Scholarship Program. These students are:Ella Andeits, Gianni Bonanno, Nathan Brula, Chelsie Clydesdale, Avery DeSaw, August Glover, Emily King, Isaac Lee, Connor Seaman, Grant Skillings and Leo Yu. These students received a Letter of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise.

Peters Township High School has been named to the 2025 AP School Honor Roll as a Gold member! PTHS earned this distinction by expanding the school's college culture by enabling 70% of the Class of 2025 to experience at least one AP course before graduating, assisting with college affordability with 58% of the Class of 2025 earning college credit with an AP Exam score of 3, and optimizing our students’ college readiness by creating opportunities for 26% of the senior class to take a total of 5 APs across their high school years, with at least one taken in 9th or 10th grade.

Research shows students who take AP courses and exams are more likely to attend college and graduate on time. The students who enter four-year colleges with credit from AP accelerate their path to graduation and build confidence for college success. And even for those who don’t earn college credit, AP coursework provides early exposure to college-level work and contributes to a college-going school culture.

• Pleasant Valley Elementary School (2011) and Peters Township Middle School (2013) have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Peters Township High School, has earned the College Board's AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding young women’s access to AP Computer Science Principles. The award acknowledges 1,105 schools for their work toward equal gender representation during the 2021-22 school year.
• The Peters Township High School Class of 2022 (366 graduates) received more than $5 million in scholarships.
• In 2022, senior Raegan Herdman and junior Sydney Shock earned the highest possible composite score on the ACT Exam. Less than one-half of 1% of all test takers earn this top score. In the U.S. high school graduating class of 2021, only 4,055 out of 1.29 million students who took the ACT earned a top composite score of 36.