Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, is the only

upper secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

in the

Tredyffrin/Easttown School District Tredyffrin/Easttown School District (T/E in short) is a school district based in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. T/E School District serves the townships of Tredyffrin Township and Easttown Township, and is one of the se ...

. It has a Berwyn post office address, though it is not in the Berwyn

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

. Conestoga, commonly referred to as "Stoga", is northwest of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in the suburbs known as the

Main Line Mainline, ''Main line'', or ''Main Line'' may refer to: Transportation Railway * Main line (railway), the principal artery of a railway system * Main line railway preservation, the practice of operating preserved trains on an operational railw ...

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 The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

colleges,

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

The California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, and

The University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

. The most popular university choice for Conestoga students is

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

. The second most popular choice is the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

. 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. One 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 by the

Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...

. Conestoga was ranked 312th (3rd in Pennsylvania) in 2008, 301st (3rd in Pennsylvania) in 2007, 170th (1st in Pennsylvania) in 2006, 195th in 2005, and 197th in 2003. In 2016, Niche.com ranked the Tredyffrin Easttown school district number one in the United States. 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 & World Report'' ranked Conestoga as a Gold Medal High School, the 294th of America's for 2021–2022.

SAT

The Conestoga Class of 2014 performed at least 94 points above the national average in every section of the SAT: 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 2022 includes 39 National Merit Semi-finalists, the most in Pennsylvania. The Conestoga Class of 2018 includes 34 National Merit Semi-finalists, 26 National Merit Commended students, and 2 National Hispanic Scholars. The Conestoga Class of 2009 includes 21 National Merit Semi-finalists, 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 (AP) examinations. A score of 3 or higher was earned on 95% of the tests. The

Siemens Foundation The Siemens Foundation is a non-profit organization in the United States, established by Siemens AG in 1998. It is responsible for the Siemens Competition (formerly Siemens Westinghouse Competition), a prestigious science award for U.S. high school ...

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

The average scaled scores for Conestoga on the

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is a standardized test administered in public schools in the state of Pennsylvania. Students in grades 3-8 are assessed in English language arts skills and mathematics. Students in grades 4 and 8 ...

(PSSA) were among the highest in the state in 2008.

Extracurricular activities

Student Journalism

''The Spoke''

Conestoga is home to a student-produced news website
Spoke.news
(formerly Stoganews.com). It is produced by the staff of ''The Spoke,'' Conestoga's student run newspaper. ''The Spoke'' has been the recipient of several national awards.

TETV

Conestoga is home to a student-run TV station TETV which broadcasts live sports game, ceremonies, concerts, in addition to student made content.

''The Folio''

Conestoga is home to a literary magazine known a
''The Folio''

STEM Programs

Conestoga's science department has numerous

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

clubs and activities. Among them are

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

, 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 "New Voters" to the national level.

Athletic teams

Conestoga competes in 17 different sporting events generally within the

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

PIAA State Championships

* Girls Tennis ** Singles - 1987 ** Doubles - 1991 ** Team - 2021 * Boys Soccer - 1988, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2021 * Girls Soccer - 2007, 2008 * Boys Tennis ** Singles - 1989, 1990, 2012 ** Doubles - 1966, 1972 ** Team - 2011, 2012, 2013 * Girls Cross Country ** Individual - 2005 * Girls Swimming - 1980 * Boys Wrestling ** Individual *** 119 lbs - 1994 * Boys Baseball - 2011 * Boys Lacrosse - 2010, 2011, 2012 * Girls Lacrosse - 2016, 2022 * Girls Track & Field ** Individual *** 4x800m Relay- 2009, 2010 *** 1600m Run- 2006 *** 1600m Relay - 2004 *** 3200m Relay - 2000 * Boys Track & Field ** Individual *** Shot Put - 2002

Athletic clubs

Fall

*Ice Hockey *Ultimate Frisbee *Cross Country *Volleyball *Sailing

Winter

* Ice Hockey * Squash * Chess

Spring

*Crew *Rugby (Conestoga has the oldest High School Rugby program in the United States, founded in 1971 by Clarence Culpepper, who played for and coached the US National Men's Team.) *Ultimate Frisbee *Sailing

Notable alumni

* Elizabeth Hoffman – 1964. Executive vice-president, Iowa State University, president emerita, University of Colorado System. *

Craig Lucas Craig Lucas (born April 30, 1951) is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director. Biography Born on April 30, 1951, he was found abandoned in a car in Atlanta, Georgia. Lucas was adopted when he wa ...

– 1969. Tony Award nominated American playwright. * Johanna Schmitt – 1970. Distinguished Professor of Evolution and Ecology,

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...

; Stephen T. Olney Professor of Natural History and Harrison S. Kravis University Professor,

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

. * Robert Ellis − 1972. LA Times bestselling author. *

Larry Krasner Lawrence Samuel Krasner (born March 30, 1961) is an American lawyer who is the 26th District Attorney of Philadelphia. Elected to the position in 2017, Krasner was one of the first in the United States to run as a self-described "progressive pros ...

– 1979. 26th

District Attorney of Philadelphia The office of the District Attorney of Philadelphia is the largest prosecutor's office in the state of Pennsylvania and oversees a jurisdiction that includes more than 1.5 million citizens of both the city and county of Philadelphia. The current ...

. *

Grant Shaud Grant Shaud (born Edward Grant Shaud III; February 27, 1961) is an American actor known for his portrayal of the character of Miles Silverberg on the television sitcom ''Murphy Brown''. Early life Edward Grant Shaud III was born in Evanston, Il ...

– 1979. Actor. *

Todd Glass Todd Steven Glass (born December 16, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian. Life and career Glass was born and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first began performing stand-up comedy in Philadelphia in 1982 while attendi ...

– 1982. Comedian, actor. * Glenn R. Simpson – 1982. Journalist. *

Melissa Shusterman Melissa Shusterman (born September 8, 1967) is a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 157, 157th District, which covers parts of ...

– 1985. Member of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

. *

Drew Endy Andrew (Drew) David Endy (born 1970) is a synthetic biologist and tenured associate professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, California. Education and Work History Endy received his PhD from Dartmouth College in 1997 for his work on ge ...

– 1988. Bioengineering professor at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, founder of the

Registry of Standard Biological Parts The Registry of Standard Biological Parts is a collection of genetic parts that are used in the assembly of systems and devices in synthetic biology. The registry was founded in 2003 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The registry, as of ...

. * Gregg Foreman – 1990. Musician and actor. *

Jennie Eisenhower Jennie Elizabeth Eisenhower (born August 15, 1978) is an American actress and director. Eisenhower has performed in theater productions Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, being nominated for seven Barrymore Awards and winning two of them. She ...

– 1996. Actress, granddaughter of President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and great-granddaughter of President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. * David Bush – 1998. Professional baseball player. * Marquis Weeks – 2000. Professional football player. *

Abbi Jacobson Abbi Jacobson is an American comedian, writer, actress, illustrator and producer. She co-created and co-starred in the Comedy Central series ''Broad City'' (2014–2019) with Ilana Glazer, based on the web series of the same name. Her ...

– 2002. Actress and co-creator of

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

television series

Broad City ''Broad City'' is an American television sitcom created by and starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson. It was developed from their independent web series of the same name, which was produced between 2009 and 2011. The sitcom, like the web series ...

. *

Pat Heim Patrick Pat Heim (born May 25, 1984 in Wayne, Pennsylvania) is a professional lacrosse player who plays for the Boston Cannons in Major League Lacrosse and the Philadelphia Wings in the National Lacrosse League. High school career Heim attende ...

– 2003. College lacrosse All-America Penn State '07, No. 1 overall pick Major League Lacrosse 2007 Draft player. *

Kasie Hunt Kasie Sue Hunt (born May 24, 1985) is an American political correspondent for CNN. From 2013 to 2021, she was NBC News' Capitol Hill correspondent, covering Congress across all NBC News and MSNBC platforms, and was the host of MSNBC's ''Way Too ...

– 2003. Political correspondent. * Chris Hurst – 2005. Former TV Anchor and member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

. * P.T. Ricci – 2005.

Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff f ...

player. *

Mark Herzlich Mark Herzlich Jr. (born September 1, 1987) is a former American football linebacker and current sports commentator. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and played all seven seasons of his professional career w ...

– 2006. Professional football player. * Mt. Joy – Indie folk/rock band featuring Matt Quinn (2009) and Sam Cooper (2007). * Roger Hobbs – 2007. International bestselling author of the books ''Ghostman'' and ''Vanishing Games''. *

Jake Cohen Jacob Greer Cohen (ג'ייק כהן; born September 25, 1990) is an American-Israeli 6' 10 " (2.10 m ) tall professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague. He also represents the ...

– 2009. American-Israeli basketball player for

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

and the

Israeli national basketball team The Israel men's national basketball team ( he, נבחרת ישראל בכדורסל) represents Israel in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Israeli Basketball Association. Israel is currently ranked 33rd in the ...

* Emma Boettcher – 2010. Champion on

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead given genera ...

who ended James Holzhauer's 32-game-long winning streak. *

Brian Chippendale Brian Chippendale (born July 22, 1973) is an American musician and artist, known as the drummer and vocalist for the experimental noise rock band Lightning Bolt and for his graphic art. Chippendale is based in Providence, Rhode Island. Brian ...

– rock drummer and vocalist. *

Christine Fan Christine Fan (born March 18, 1976), better known by her stage name FanFan or her Chinese name Fan Wei-chi, is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, TV presenter, record producer, actress, author and philanthropist. She sings mostly in Mandarin, but ha ...

– singer and actress. * Keith Hughes – former Major League Baseball pitcher (1987–88; '90, '93) *

Brendon Little Brendon David Little (born August 11, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Chicago Cubs organization. He made his Major League Baseball debut with the Cubs in 2022. Amateur career Little graduated from Conestoga High School i ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

pitcher for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

* Tommy Shields – former Chicago Cubs infielder

References

External links

Conestoga's homepage

School profile

Program of Studies

T/E School District homepage
{{authority control Philadelphia Main Line Public high schools in Pennsylvania Eastern Pennsylvania Rugby Union Educational institutions established in 1955 Schools in Chester County, Pennsylvania 1955 establishments in Pennsylvania