Penn Hills SHS

Set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Penn Hills SHS is a moderately sized senior high, overseen by Penn Hills SD. It educates 1,049 students across grades 9 through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 42% bigger than the state mean of about 738.

Across the 3 schools in Penn Hills SD (2,903 students total), Penn Hills SHS accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Penn Hills SHS reports that 67% of the student body identifies as Black. The remainder is composed of 19% White, 8% multiracial, 5% Hispanic. By comparison, Allegheny County as a whole is about 13% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

On the resource side, Penn Hills SHS lists 56 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 18.7:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.8:1, putting Penn Hills SHS higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 104% of students at Penn Hills SHS qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Allegheny County (around 54%), the school's rate is north of typical.

After controlling for student poverty, Penn Hills SHS tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 33.1% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 22.6%.

Across the wider county, ACS estimates for Allegheny County put the typical household earns roughly $78,548 per year, 46% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Allegheny County runs 277 public schools (combined enrollment of about 141,392 students), of which Penn Hills SHS is one.

Linton MS is the nearest neighboring public school, about 1.0 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Penn Hills SHS. On composite proficiency, Penn Hills SHS comes 6th of 8 in the immediate cluster, below the nearby-schools average of 37.6%.

The campus sits in a residential setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Penn Hills SHS has fell 14%, going from 1,226 students in 2018 to 1,049 in 2025. The White share of enrollment fell from 31% to 19% over that span. Class-load math has widened: from 14.9:1 in 2018 to 18.7:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.