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What advice would you give to incoming students at South Fayette Twp HS?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,143
High
DISTRICT 881 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·SOUTH FAYETTE TOWNSHIP SD·NCES 422058000470
South Fayette High School
3640 Old Oakdale Rd, McDonald, PA 15057 · (412) 221-4542 · Allegheny County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL1,143 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
77 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.1:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
16%
183 students
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 297 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 276 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 268 | 23% |
| Grade 12 | 302 | 26% |
Student demographics
46%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 51% · STATE 59% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within South Fayette Township SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
86.0%
PA avg 51.1% . -3.1pp since 2023
Math
74.1%
PA avg 43.0% . -5.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 86 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 74 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 6 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 86.0% | 74.1% |
| 2023-24 | 89.1% | 79.6% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
82.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
70.8%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 82% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 71% typical for Pennsylvania schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Pennsylvania's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like South Fayette High School
South Fayette High School's state test result (82.1% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Fayette High School this school | 1,143 | 16.0% | 82.1% |
| Garnet Valley High School Glen Mills | 1,485 | 16.0% | 80.0% |
| Lower Moreland High School Huntingdon Valley | 879 | 20.7% | 68.7% |
| Unionville High School Kennett Square | 1,263 | 8.2% | 81.6% |
| Downingtown HS East Campus Exton | 1,708 | 20.3% | 71.5% |
| North Allegheny High School Wexford | 2,711 | 10.4% | 79.2% |
Matched among Pennsylvania high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where South Fayette High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Allegheny County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 82.1% | #17 of 576 | #5 of 45 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 74.1% | #29 of 626 ▼ 17 | #6 of 53 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 86.0% | #36 of 626 ▼ 10 | #9 of 53 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,143 | #145 of 713 | #14 of 59 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.8:1 | #399 of 601 | #42 of 52 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 45.9% | #184 of 604 | #24 of 52 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 16.0% | #602 of 619 | #49 of 52 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +27.7% | #20 of 221 | #1 of 21 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,143
+67 (+6%) vs 2020
+122% since 1990-91, when it was 514
Student : Teacher
14.8:1
was 15.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,143 | 77.1 | 14.8:1 | 16% (183) |
| 2023-24 | 1,115 | 74.6 | 15.0:1 | 16% (183) |
| 2022-23 | 1,074 | 69.3 | 15.5:1 | 10% (107) |
| 2020-21 | 1,076 | 69 | 15.6:1 | 8% (85) |
| 2017-18 | 895 | 58.9 | 15.2:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 812 | 52 | 15.6:1 | 13% (109) |
| 2010-11 | 707 | 30 | 23.6:1 | 10% (74) |
| 2000-01 | 491 | 42 | 11.7:1 | 11% (56) |
| 1990-91 | 514 | 38 | 13.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Fayette High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 28% (895 to 1,143); teachers up 31% (58.9 to 77.1).
About South Fayette High School
South Fayette High School is a large high school with its address in McDonald, Pennsylvania. Grades offered run from 9 through 12, with 1,143 students enrolled. The average among high schools in Pennsylvania is roughly 738 students; this school is 55% above that.
South Fayette Township SD enrolls 3,522 students in 4 schools, including South Fayette High School.
White students account for 70% of enrollment at South Fayette High School. Enrollment also includes 23% Asian and 4% multiracial. By the diversity index, South Fayette High School comes in at 46%.
With 77.1 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at South Fayette High School was 14.8:1. Among high schools in Pennsylvania, the typical ratio is 12.8:1. South Fayette High School's free or reduced-price lunch eligibility rate is 16%. By comparison, the figure for public schools in Allegheny County is 54%.
Schools in Pennsylvania with a similar free or reduced-price lunch share are predicted to score about 70.8%. South Fayette High School scores 82.1%.
Census Bureau estimates for Allegheny County show that median household income is about $78,548, roughly 46% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 7% of residents live below the federal poverty line. South Fayette High School is one of 277 public schools in Allegheny County, which together enroll about 141,392 students.
South Fayette Intermediate School is the public school closest to South Fayette High School, about 0.1 miles away. South Fayette High School has at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Local comparison: South Fayette High School ranks 3rd of 7 nearby schools, at 82.1% versus a 71.3% average.
Its location is classified as Suburb: Large by the National Center for Education Statistics.
The student count in 2024-25 was 1,143, 6% above the 1,076 of 2020-21.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Allegheny County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,238,177
Census ACS
Median income
$78,548
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
46%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
277
141,392 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in South Fayette Township SD
- South Fayette Middle SchoolMiddle · 859 students
- South Fayette Intermediate SchoolElementary · 803 students
- South Fayette Elementary SchoolElementary · 717 students
Other schools in McDonald
- South Fayette Middle SchoolMiddle · 859 students
- South Fayette Intermediate SchoolElementary · 803 students
- South Fayette Elementary SchoolElementary · 717 students
Nearby schools
- South Fayette Intermediate School0.1 mi · 803
- South Fayette Elementary School0.2 mi · 717
- South Fayette Middle School0.3 mi · 859
- McKee Elementary School3.1 mi · 521
- Chartiers Valley Primary School3.2 mi · 892
- Chartiers Valley High School3.4 mi · 1,029
Frequently asked questions
About South Fayette High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at South Fayette High School?
South Fayette High School enrolls approximately 1,143 students in grades 09-12.
Is South Fayette High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South Fayette High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does South Fayette High School have?
South Fayette High School employs 77 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.8:1.
What is the student diversity at South Fayette High School?
Student demographics at South Fayette High School are roughly 70% White, 2% Hispanic, 1% Black, 23% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is South Fayette High School public or private?
South Fayette High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by South Fayette Township SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.