Type Public Superintendent Dr. Wesley Shipley Principal Mr. Dale Sleva, MS | School board 9 elected members Principal Mr. Todd Kolson, HS Principal Mr. Todd R. Lape, MACS | |
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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.
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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.
Academic achievement
Mars Area High Schools is ranked highly statewide in comparison to other public high schools, in regards to their PSSA scoring:
2014 - 29th out of 580
2013 - 26th out of 591
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.
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 PSSAs 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
Budget
The district received $1,010,786 in ARRA - 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-price 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.