Parkland School District

Parkland High School

With 3,222 students in the 2016-2017 school year, Parkland High School is the largest high school in the Lehigh Valley.

Orefield Middle School

Orefield Middle School is located in Orefield, PA, on PA Route 309. It is the home of Parkland's football stadium and bus depot. The school serves the northern half of the district, primarily north of Tilghman Street.

History

Orefield Middle School was founded in 1999. Its predecessor, Troxell Junior High School, was established when students in grades 7 to 9 were moved from Parkland High School due to overcrowding. When the new and current Parkland High School was constructed in 1999, the school was moved from Troxell to the old high school building and renamed Orefield Middle School to serve students in grades 6 to 8. During the first two terms in the new building, the facility was renovated to accommodate middle school instruction. In 2014, a rain garden was installed in a courtyard to aid in environmental education.

Academics

Students at Orefield are assigned to teams of teachers that are instructors for core subjects. There are six teams for 6th grade, and three teams each for 7th and 8th grades. The school also has language, music, art, and technology classes. Orefield Middle School's 2014 performance profile indicated that the school has an academic score of 89.3.

Springhouse Middle School

Springhouse Middle School is located in Allentown, PA, on Springhouse road just behind the Administration building. It serves the southern half of the district, primarily south of Tilghman Street.

History

Springhouse Middle School was initially a Junior High School serving grades 7-9. However, when the new High School was constructed and Troxell Junior High School closed, Springhosue began serving grades 6-8.

In 2006 the school underwent a renovation and expansion due to overcrowding (spurring from numerous new developments in Upper Macungie). The D-wing, auxiliary gymnasium, health class rooms, and a new dedicated band room were part of the expansion. Despite this, the school is again dealing with overcrowding and in 2016 had to recently cede some of its sending area to Orefield.

Academics

Students at Springhouse are assigned to teams of teachers that are instructors for core subjects. There are eight teams for 6th grade, and three teams each for 7th and 8th grades. The school also has language, music, art, and technology classes. Springhouse Middle School's 2016 performance profile indicated that the school has an academic score of 81.14.

In 2014, the school became famous for becoming the first-ever Science Olympiad team make the national competition, when they won the DuPont Enterprise Excellence Award. Springhouse has made the national competition in 2015 and 2016 as well, winning numerous gold medals in various categories.

Fogelsville Elementary School

Symbolized by a rosette encircled in a scalloped design on the front of the building, Fogelsville Elementary School was built in 1965. These seven separate rosettes, which are located both inside and outside the school, are mosaics set into the brickwork. According to Pennsylvania Dutch legend, the rosette repels “bad luck” and the scalloped design helps the students inside “sail smoothly” through life. Intended by its architects to reflect the historical roots of the school's community, the school was first called The Upper Macungie Elementary School and in 1970 renamed to Fogelsville Elementary School. When dedicated in 1965, the original building consisted of 13 classrooms, a library, a health room, and an activity building, which accommodated 411 students. Today, Fogelsville Elementary consists of 28 classrooms with an enrollment of 694 students, which presently is the largest of the seven elementary schools. Fogelsville Elementary School is the home of the “foxes”.

Kernsville Elementary School

Built in the 1850s as a one room schoolhouse, Kernsville is located on Orefield Road in Orefield, PA. It is a mere mile away from Orefield Middle School, serving 396 students in the 2016-2017 school year.

Kratzer Elementary School

Named after Johannes Kratzer, a German immigrant and farmer who, near the turn of the 19th century and for the consideration of one dollar, donated a corner of his extensive family farm for the construction of a public schoolhouse. Later, when the Parkland School District was formed and unified, the original Kratzer schoolhouse served as the Parkland Community Center. The original building was torn down in the 1960s, but the modern building still retains the name of the original landowner, whose descendants still reside in Lehigh County. A portrait of Kratzer which hung inside the original building has been lost.

Fred Jaindl Elementary School

Named after Frederick J. Jaindl, farmer and philanthropist. It broke ground on March 29, 2009 and the school opened its doors in August 2010. The 20-acre site near Trexlertown accommodates approximately 600 students in grades K-5. It is also located near the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, and Grim Road.