Cumberland Valley High School

Cumberland Valley High School (CV) is a coeducational public high school founded in 1954. It is located in the Cumberland Valley School District of Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. In 2010, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the school had 2,525 pupils enrolled in the ninth to twelfth grades and 223 students qualified for state help with school meal costs. The school employed 175 teachers yielding a student:teacher ratio of 15:1. The mascot is an Eagle.
The Cumberland Valley High School serves the four townships of Hampden, Middlesex, Monroe and Silver Spring in Cumberland County. The area included in the school system extends from Carlisle to Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. This area is suburban and is located fifteen miles west of Harrisburg.
The combined junior-senior high school opened in September 1954 to 800 students. The school has steadily grown since that time. This is evident by the size of only the freshman class of 2014, which amounts to about 705 students. All schools in the district, except for Monroe Elementary, have been re-built or remodeled due to significant student population growth.
Seven elementary schools and two middle schools funnel into the high school. The middle schools are: Mountain View Middle School and Eagle View Middle School.
The library (known as IMC, stands for "Instructional Materials Center" ) is a learning center providing books, magazines, daily newspapers, audiovisuals, and CD-ROMs. Students use computers to access library resources, the Internet and to do word processing and graphical analysis. They also have interlibrary loan privileges with other libraries in the state.
Cumberland Valley High School requires students to participate in random drug testing in order to attend school dances, play sports, drive to school, and many other activities.
AYP status.
In 2012, Cumberland Valley High School declined to Warning AYP status due to missing several academic metrics. In 2010 and 2011, the Cumberland Valley High School achieved "AYP" status.
Graduation rate.
In 2012, the graduation rate at Cumberland Valley High School was 93%. In 2011, Cumberland Valley High School's graduation rate was 93%. In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Cumberland Valley High School's rate was 91% for 2010.
PSSA results.
Science in Motion Cumberland Valley High School took advantage of a state program called Science in Motion which brought college professors and sophisticated science equipment to the school to raise science awareness and to provide inquiry-based experiences for the students. The Science in Motion program was funded by a state appropriation and cost the school nothing to participate. Gettysburg College provided the science enrichment experiences to schools in the region.
College remediation.
According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 30% of Cumberland Valley 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. Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.
College Preparedness/AP/IB - The high school offers College in the Classroom opportunities for its students through an affiliation with HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. In addition, the high school offers a total of 27 Advanced Placement courses. In 2010, 395 CV High School students took a total of 702 AP exams. Those numbers are up from 212 students and 401 tests in 2009, and 82 students and 169 tests in 2002. The IB Diploma Programme (International Baccalaureate Programme) is coming to Cumberland Valley. The first IB Diploma class will graduate in 2013 and will begin IB courses in the fall of 2011.
SAT scores.
In 2012, 467 Cumberland Valley School District students took the SAT exams. The District's Verbal Average Score was 529. The Math average score was 563. The Writing average score was 514. The statewide Verbal SAT exams results were: Verbal 491, Math 501, Writing 480. In the US, 1.65 million students took the exams achieving scores: Verbal 496, Math 514, Writing 488. According to the College Board the maximum score on each section was 800, and 360 students nationwide scored a perfect 2,400.
In 2011, 467 Cumberland Valley High School students took the SAT exams. The district's Verbal Average Score was 525. The Math average score was 556. The Writing average score was 493. Pennsylvania ranked 40th among states with SAT scores: Verbal - 493, Math - 501, Writing - 479. In the United States 1.65 million students took the exam in 2011. They averaged 497 (out of 800) verbal, 514 math and 489 in writing.
Graduation requirements.
The Cumberland Valley School Board has determined that 23 credits are required to graduate including: English 4 credits, Social Studies 4 credits, Mathematics 4 (or 3 with 4 credits of science) credits, Science 4 (or 3 with 4 credits of mathematics) credits, Health and Physical education 1.5 credits, and Arts humanities 2 credits.
By law, all Pennsylvania high school students must complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district. Effective with the graduating class of 2017, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education eliminated the state mandate that students complete a culminating project in order to graduate.
By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, beginning with the class of 2017, public school students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, and English Literature by passing the Keystone Exams. The exam is given at the end of the course. Keystone Exams replace the PSSAs for 11th grade. Students have several opportunities to pass the exam, with those who do not able to perform a project in order to graduate. For the class of 2019, a Composition exam will be added. For the class of 2020, passing a civics and government exam will be added to the graduation requirements. In 2011, Pennsylvania high school students field tested the Algebra 1, Biology and English Lit exams. The statewide results were: Algebra 1 38% on grade level, Biology 35% on grade level and English Lit - 49% on grade level. Individual student, school or district reports were not made public, although they were reported to district officials by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students identified as having special needs and qualifying for an Individual Educational Program (IEP) may graduate by meeting the requirements of their IEP.
Opportunities.
Students that attend Cumberland Valley High School have the opportunity to attend classes at Cumberland-Perry Area Vocational Technical School. This school allows students to reach their goals of employment, and other education opportunities.
The high school offers College in the Classroom opportunities for its students through an affiliation with HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. In addition, the high school offers a total of 27 Advanced Placement courses. In 2010, 395 CV High School students took a total of 702 AP exams. Those numbers are up from 212 students and 401 tests in 2009, and 82 students and 169 tests in 2002. The IB Diploma Programme (International Baccalaureate Programme) is coming to Cumberland Valley. The first IB Diploma class will graduate in 2013 and will begin IB courses in the fall of 2011.
Students can also participate in fundraising for Penn State Children's Hospital in affiliation with the Penn State Dance MaraTHON.
Extracurriculars.
A wide variety of activities, clubs and sports are offered to the students and community. Varsity and junior varsity athletic activities are under the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association. Eligibility to participate in extracurriculars is set by school board policies and is communicated in the student handbook and district policy manual.
By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.
Sports.
The District funds:
According to PIAA directory July 2012 