- Connellsville Area School District
-
Connellsville Area School District 
Address 732 Rock Ridge Road
Connellsville, Pennsylvania, Fayette, 15425
United StatesInformation Superintendent Mr. David R. Goodin Grades K-12 Mascot Falcons Website http://wwww.casdfalcons.org/ The Connellsville Area School District covers the City of Connellsville, the Boroughs of Dawson, Dunbar, Ohiopyle, Seven Springs, South Connellsville and Vanderbilt and Bullskin Township, Connellsville Township, Dunbar Township, Saltlick Township, Springfield Township and Stewart Township in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
Contents
Schools
The district operates twelve schools in the 200+ Square Mile District:
Senior High Schools
- Connellsville Area Senior High School is located on Falcon Drive in the city limits of Connellsville. The school was built in 1970 and has not been renovated since. About 1325 students in grades 10-12 attend CASHS.
- Connellsville Area Career & Technology Center is located above the high school, and was built in 1972. The center serves about 500 students in grades 10-12 and about 400 students from the two Junior High Schools, who attend the program for a half-a-day in exploratory courses. CACTC was renovated during the 2008-09 school term
Junior High Schools
There are two rivalry junior high schools in the district,which holds students in grades 7-9.
- Junior High East is located on Locust Street Extension in Connellsville, PA. The school was constructed in 1956 as Connellsville Joint High School, when the district was formed in 1966, the name was changed to Connellsville Area High School until the present school was built, then it became a Junior High School. There was extensive renovations and additions to the school in 1998. About 700 students attend this school.
- Junior High West is located on Falls Avenue in Connellsville, PA. The former school at this site was renovated and the added 1960 section is all that stays of the former Dunbar Township High School days. The former school was torn down and the 1960 section was renovated and a new building was built in 1999. West is home to about 600 pupils.
Elementary Schools
There are eight elementary schools in the district, all facilitate classes for grades K-6.
- Bullskin Township Elementary School is located on Pleasant Valley Road (State Route 982) in Connellsville, PA, and was built in 1956. The last renovation was in 1998, when also a 4,000 sq ft (370 m2). addition was added to the structure. About 450 students attend school here.
- Clifford N. Pritts Elementary School is located on Indian Creek Valley Road (State Routes 381/711) in Melcroft, PA, and was built in 1968. There are about 300 students attending this faciltiy.
- Connellsville Township Elementary School is located on Rock Ridge Road in Connellsville, PA. The school was built in the late 1960s and also houses the district's administration offices. The student census is around 175.
- Dunbar Borough Elementary School is located off of Pechin Road in Dunbar, PA. The school was built in 1974 and has about 175 students.
- Dunbar Township Elementary School is located on Ridge Boulevard near Connellsville, PA. The school holds a census of about 600 and was built in 1966.
- South Side Elementary School is located on Race Street in Connellsville, PA and was built in 1965. There are about 325 pupils on the SSE Campus
- Springfield Township Elementary School was built in 2004 and is located on School House Lane in Normalville, PA.
- Zachariah Connell Elementary School is located on Park Street in Connellsville, PA was opened in 1967 and has a census of about 400.
District enrollment is 5568.
Academic Achievement
Connellsville School District was ranked 451st out of 498 Pennsylvania school districts in 2010 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic performance based on the PSSAs for: reading, writing, math and two years of science.[1]
- 2009 - 437th
- 2008 - 447th
- 2007 - 442nd out of 501 Pennsylvania school districts.[2]
Graduation Rate
High School Reading, Math, Science PSSA Results
11th Grade Reading
2009 - 60% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.[5]
2008 - 69%, State - 65%
2007 - 66%, State - 65%[6]11th Grade Math:
2009 - 44% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.[7]
2008 - 59%, State - 56%
2007 - 50%, State - 53%11th Grade Science:
2009 - 33% on grade level. State - 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.[8]
2008 - 32%, State - 39%[9]Real Estate Taxes
Property tax rates in 2009 were set at 12.6000 mills.[10] A mill is $1 of tax for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value. Irregular property reassessments have become a serious issue in the commonwealth as it creates a significant disparity in taxation within a community and across a region.
Property Tax Relief
In 2009, the Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief from gambling for the Connellsville Area School District was set at $151 for the 9,710 approved primary homesteads and farmsteads.[11] The highest tax relief in Fayette County was given to Uniontown Area School District which was set at $200. In 2009, Connellsville Area School District tax relief was set at $152 for 9,623 homesteads.[12] The relief was subtracted from the total annual school property tax bill. Property owners apply for the relief through the county Treasurer's office. Farmers can qualify for a farmstead exemption on building used for agricultural purposes. The farm must be at least 10 contiguous acres (40,000 m2) and must be the primary residence of the owner. Farmers can qualify for both the homestead exemption and the farmstead exemption. In Fayette County, 72% of eligible property owners applied for property tax relief in 2009.[13] Pennsylvania awarded the highest property tax relief to residents of the Chester-Upland School District in Delaware County at $632 per homestead and farmstead in 2010.[14] This was the second year CUSD was the top recipient.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Property Tax/Rent Rebate program is provided for low income Pennsylvanians aged 65 and older; widows and widowers aged 50 and older; and people with disabilities age 18 and older. The income limit is $35,000 for homeowners. The maximum rebate for both homeowners and renters is $650. Applicants can exclude one-half (1/2) of their Social Security income, consequently individuals whose income is substantially more than $35,000 may still qualify for a rebate. Individuals must apply annually for the rebate. This can be taken in addition to Homestead/Farmstead Property Tax Relief.
Property taxes in Pennsylvania are relatively high on a national scale. According to the Tax Foundation, Pennsylvania ranked 11th in the U.S. in 2008 in terms of property taxes paid as a percentage of home value (1.34%) and 12th in the country in terms of property taxes as a percentage of income (3.55%).[15]
References
- ^ Statewide Honor Roll. Pittsburgh Business Times, May 1, 2010
- ^ Three of top school districts in state hail from Allegheny County, Pittsburgh Business Times, May 23, 2007
- ^ Connellsville School District Report Card 2009 http://paayp.emetric.net/District/SchoolList/c26/101261302
- ^ Pennsylvania Partnership for Children High School Graduation Report 2008
- ^ Connellsville Area Senior High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009
- ^ Connellsville Area School District Academic Achievement Report Card 2007
- ^ 2009 PSSAs: Reading, Math, Writing and Science Results Pennsylvania Department of Education Report
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education Report on Science PSSA 2009 by Schools. August 2009.
- ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education Science PSSA 2008 report by school and grade
- ^ Real Estate Tax Millage by School District, Pennsylvania Department of Finance. 2009
- ^ Tax Relief per Homestead May 1, 2010, Pennsylvania Department of Education report.
- ^ Tax Relief per Homesteads May 1, 2009, Pennsylvania Department of Education report.
- ^ Special Report Pennsylvania Property Tax Relief, Pennsylvania Auditor General Office, 2-23-2010.
- ^ Tax Relief per Homestead 5-1-10. Report Pennsylvania Department of Education, May 2010
- ^ New Census Data on Property Taxes on Homeowners, Tax Foundation, September 22, 2009.
Categories:- School districts in Fayette County, Pennsylvania
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