Conestoga High School
Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, United States, is the only upper secondary school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District.
Conestoga, commonly referred to as "Stoga," is northwest of Philadelphia in the suburbs known as the Main Line.
College and university matriculation
97% of Conestoga graduates advance to colleges and universities, 92% of them to four-year colleges and universities. Graduating classes from 2009 to 2014 sent one or more students to each of the Ivy League colleges, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, The California Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University. The most popular university choice for Conestoga students is Pennsylvania State University. The second most popular choice is the University of Pittsburgh. Fifty-two percent of Conestoga students leave Pennsylvania to attend colleges and universities, and more than 52% attend private institutions after graduation.Departments
Conestoga has eight academic departments: Business/Technology, English, World Languages, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Visual and Performing Arts, and Wellness/Fitness/Family & Consumer Science. Students must earn 24 credits in order to graduate. 1 credit is equivalent to a year-long class.Distinctions and honors
In 2012 Conestoga was ranked the 180th best high school in the country and 1st in Pennsylvania. Conestoga was ranked 312th in 2008, 301st in 2007, 170th in 2006, 195th in 2005, and 197th in 2003.In 2016, Niche.com ranked the Tredyffrin Easttown school district number one in the USA. In the 2016 edition of Newsweek's "America's Top High Schools," Conestoga High School was ranked 36th in the nation and the 1st in Pennsylvania. For the 2012–2013 school year the school was ranked as a Gold Medal School by U.S. News & World Report, ranked number 313 nationally.
U.S. News and World Report consistently includes Conestoga High School in their annual list of America's "Best High Schools." U.S. News & World Report ranked Conestoga as a Gold Medal High School, the 313th of America's for 2010–2011.
SAT
The Conestoga Class of 2014 performed at least 94 points above the national average in every section of the SAT:Test Type | National Average | Conestoga |
Reading | 497 | 598 |
Math | 513 | 607 |
Writing | 487 | 590 |
Compared to all the other schools in Chester County, Conestoga had the highest average SAT score in 2019.
National Merit/College Board Recognition
The Conestoga Class of 2018 includes 34 National Merit Semifinalists, 26 National Merit Commended Students, and 2 National Hispanic Scholars. The Conestoga Class of 2009 includes 21 National Merit Semifinalists, 35 National Merit Commended Students, 1 National Achievement Scholar, and 1 National Hispanic Scholar award recipients.Advanced Placement Program
In May 2008, 573 Conestoga students, or 30% of the student body, took 1,103 College Board Advanced Placement examinations. A score of 3 or higher was earned on 95% of the tests.The Siemens Foundation for Advanced Placement honored Conestoga thrice, with the 2009 Student Award, 2006–07 High School Award, and 2005–06 Student Award. This program highlights exceptional achievement in science, mathematics, and technology.
Pennsylvania System of School Assessment
Conestoga performs well on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. The average scaled scores for Conestoga were among the highest in the state in 2008.Test Type | State | Conestoga |
Reading | 1470 | 1680 |
Math | 1360 | 1600 |
Writing | 1340 | 1600 |
Spoke News
Conestoga is home to a student-produced news website, . It is produced by the staff of The Spoke, Conestoga's student run newspaper, and TETV. Spoke.news has been the recipient of several national awards.Extracurricular activities
STEM Programs
Conestoga's science department has numerous STEM clubs and activities. Among them are Science Olympiad, chemistry, biology, computer science, and robotics.Academic Competitions
Conestoga is a part of Chester County Academic Competition league, the DECA business competition, as well as at the Pennsylvania State Career Development Conference.Civic Engagement
In 2017, Conestoga was the first high school to receive the Pennsylvania Governor's Civic Engagement Award for registering 85% of eligible students to vote. In 2018, the students who ran the drive brought the organization to the national level.Athletic teams
Conestoga competes in 17 different sporting events generally within the Central League.Athletic clubs
Fall
- Ice Hockey
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Cross Country
- Volleyball
- Sailing
Winter
- Ice Hockey
- Squash
Spring
- Crew
- Rugby
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Sailing
Notable alumni
- Elizabeth Hoffman – 1964. Executive vice-president, Iowa State University, president emerita, University of Colorado System.
- Craig Lucas – 1969. Tony-award nominated American playwright.
- Johanna Schmitt – 1970. Distinguished Professor of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis; Stephen T. Olney Professor of Natural History and Harrison S. Kravis University Professor, Brown University.
- Robert Ellis -1972. LA Times Bestselling Author.
- Grant Shaud – 1979. Actor.
- Todd Glass – 1982. Comedian, actor.
- Glenn R. Simpson - 1982. Journalist.
- Melissa Shusterman – 1985. Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
- Drew Endy – 1988. Bioengineering professor at Stanford University, founder of the Registry of Standard Biological Parts.
- Gregg Foreman - 1990. Musician and Actor.
- Jennie Eisenhower – 1996. Actress, granddaughter of President Richard Nixon and great-granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
- David Bush – 1998. Professional baseball player.
- Marquis Weeks – 2000. Professional football player.
- Abbi Jacobson – 2002. Actress and co-creator of Comedy Central television series Broad City.
- Pat Heim – 2003. College lacrosse All-America Penn State '07, #1 overall pick Major League Lacrosse 2007 Draft player.
- Kasie Hunt - 2003. Political correspondent.
- Chris Hurst - 2005. Former TV Anchor and member of the Virginia House of Delegates.
- P.T. Ricci – 2005. Major League Lacrosse player.
- Mark Herzlich – 2006. Professional football player.
- Mt. Joy - Indie folk/rock band featuring Matt Quinn and Sam Cooper.
- Roger Hobbs – 2007. International bestselling author of the books Ghostman and Vanishing Games.
- Emma Boettcher – 2010. Champion on Jeopardy! who ended James Holzhauer's 32-game-long winning streak.
- Christine Fan – Singer and actress.
- Brian Chippendale – Rock drummer and vocalist.
- Keith Hughes — former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Tommy Shields — former Chicago Cubs infielder