Mars Area School District
Encyclopedia
Mars Area School District is a public school district in Pennsylvania serving the communities of Mars
and Valencia
Boroughs as well as Adams Township
and Middlesex Township
in Butler County
.
The earliest known school in the district was the Denny School, opened in 1796 in Middlesex Township. The current configuration of the district was formed in 1960 when the Mars and Valencia Boroughs combined with Adams and Middlesex Townships to form the Mars Area School District.
The Mars Area School District consists of five schools. The Mars Area Primary Center for students in Kindergarten through 1st grade, the Mars Area Elementary School for students in 2nd through 4th grade, the Mars Area Centennial School for students in 5th through 6th grade, the Mars Area Middle School
for students in 7th through 8th grade, and the Mars Area High School
for students in 9th through 12th grade.
Mars Area School District was ranked 111th out of the 498 ranked Pennsylvania School Districts in 2008 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic performance as demonstrated in 3 years of PSSA results.
11th Grade Reading
2009 - 82% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.
2008 - 78%
11th Grade Math:
2009 - 62% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.
2008 - 53%
11th Grade Science:
2009 - 64% on grade level. State: 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.
2008 - 45%
College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 26% of Mars Area Senior High School graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges.
s in: reading, math writing and one year of science. (Includes schools in: Allegheny County
, Beaver County
, Butler County
, Fayette County
, Westmoreland County
, and Washington County
- Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Mars Area School District had 271 students receiving free or reduced lunches due to low family income in the 2007-2008 school year.
School district officials did not apply for the Race to the Top
federal grant which would have brought the district hundreds of thousands in additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement. The administration, school board and teachers' union prioritized local control over free resources to improve student success.
In the 2009-2010 budget year, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 2.83% increase in Basic Education funding for $5,756,899. In Butler County, school districts received state education funding increases in a range of 4.54% to 2.75% for the 2009-2010 school year. The state's Basic Education funding to the district in 2008-09 was $5,598,302.49.
References:
Mars, Pennsylvania
Mars is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, USA. The population was 1,746 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mars is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of , all of it land....
and Valencia
Valencia, Pennsylvania
Valencia is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 384 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Valencia is located at ....
Boroughs as well as Adams Township
Adams Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Adams Township is a township in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 11,652 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
and Middlesex Township
Middlesex Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Middlesex Township is a township in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,586 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.0 square miles , of which, 23.0 square miles of it is land and...
in Butler County
Butler County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 174,083 people, 65,862 households, and 46,827 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile . There were 69,868 housing units at an average density of 89 per square mile...
.
The earliest known school in the district was the Denny School, opened in 1796 in Middlesex Township. The current configuration of the district was formed in 1960 when the Mars and Valencia Boroughs combined with Adams and Middlesex Townships to form the Mars Area School District.
The Mars Area School District consists of five schools. The Mars Area Primary Center for students in Kindergarten through 1st grade, the Mars Area Elementary School for students in 2nd through 4th grade, the Mars Area Centennial School for students in 5th through 6th grade, the Mars Area Middle School
Mars Area Middle School
Mars Area Middle School is one of five schools in the Mars Area School District. It is located just outside of Mars, Pennsylvania, in Adams Township. The school houses approximately 500 students in seventh and eighth grades.- History :...
for students in 7th through 8th grade, and the Mars Area High School
Mars Area High School
Mars Area High School is a high school located in Mars, Pennsylvania.Mars High offers a full program of courses that includes more than 120 selections plus a wide variety of extracurricular activities and interscholastic sports...
for students in 9th through 12th grade.
Mars Area School District was ranked 111th out of the 498 ranked Pennsylvania School Districts in 2008 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on student academic performance as demonstrated in 3 years of PSSA results.
Academic achievement
PSSA Results11th Grade Reading
2009 - 82% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 65% of 11th graders on grade level.
2008 - 78%
11th Grade Math:
2009 - 62% on grade level. In Pennsylvania, 56% of 11th graders are on grade level.
2008 - 53%
11th Grade Science:
2009 - 64% on grade level. State: 40% of 11th graders were on grade level.
2008 - 45%
College remediation: According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 26% of Mars Area Senior High School graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges.
Eighth Grade
In 2009, the 8th grade was ranked 33rd out of 141 western Pennsylvania middle schools based on three years of student academic achievement in PSSAPennsylvania System of School Assessment
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment is a standardized test administered to public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 are assessed in reading skills and mathematics. Students in grades 5, 8, and 11 are assessed in writing skills...
s in: reading, math writing and one year of science. (Includes schools in: Allegheny County
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
, Beaver County
Beaver County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 181,412 people, 72,576 households, and 50,512 families residing in the county. The population density was 418 people per square mile . There were 77,765 housing units at an average density of 179 per square mile...
, Butler County
Butler County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 174,083 people, 65,862 households, and 46,827 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile . There were 69,868 housing units at an average density of 89 per square mile...
, Fayette County
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the2010 census, the population was 136,606. The county is part of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, Westmoreland County
Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, and Washington County
Washington County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...
Budget
The district received $1,010,786 in ARRAArra
Arra is a census town in Puruliya district in the state of West Bengal, India.-Demographics: India census, Arra had a population of 19,911. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Arra has an average literacy rate of 66%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 59% of the...
- Federal Stimulus money to be used in specific programs like special education and meeting the academic needs of low income students. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Mars Area School District had 271 students receiving free or reduced lunches due to low family income in the 2007-2008 school year.
School district officials did not apply for the Race to the Top
Race to the Top
Race to the Top, abbreviated R2T, RTTT or RTT, is a $4.35 billion United States Department of Education competition designed to spur innovation and reforms in state and local district K-12 education...
federal grant which would have brought the district hundreds of thousands in additional federal dollars for improving student academic achievement. The administration, school board and teachers' union prioritized local control over free resources to improve student success.
In the 2009-2010 budget year, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a 2.83% increase in Basic Education funding for $5,756,899. In Butler County, school districts received state education funding increases in a range of 4.54% to 2.75% for the 2009-2010 school year. The state's Basic Education funding to the district in 2008-09 was $5,598,302.49.
References: