Niche rankings place North Allegheny School District 2nd in state

North Allegheny once again secures its spot as the second-best school district in Pennsylvania out of 496 districts, following Radnor Township in Delaware County, according to the Niche ratings published Sept. 30.

The ratings moved North Allegheny up three spots, to 24, from last year’s rank of No. 27 among the best school district in the United States, out of 10,561.

“We are very appreciative of the recognition, and are proud of the work and people who helped to receive it,” Superintendent Brendan Hyland said. “We believe that if you build an environment where all employees feel they can improve every day — not because they have to, but because they want to — the sky is the limit for what we can do as a District.”

North Allegheny also ranks first in the state as the best for athletes out of 489 districts, and second in the nation, the latter out of more than 9,900.

NA earned second place as having the best teachers in state and 31st in the country. It also is the third-best school district in the state in which to teach and No. 99 nationally.

Other number ones for North Allegheny include ranking as the best school district in both Allegheny County and in the Pittsburgh area. Athletics also scores first for both of those categories.

Bob Bozzuto, athletic director at North Allegheny, said his department follows the “four D’s” philosophy; desire, dedication, determination and discipline.

“North Allegheny athletics is proud of the academic and athletic achievements of our student athletes and staff. We take great pride in the physical, psychological and social development of our young people,” Bozzuto said.

The district’s overall Niche Grade is an A-plus, earning a perfect grade in the categories of academics, teachers, clubs and activities, college prep, and administration. Diversity received a B minus.

Other local school districts making the top 10 for Pennsylvania include Mt. Lebanon at No. 5; Upper St. Clair, No. 6; Fox Chapel Area, No. 7; and South Fayette Township, No. 8,

Niche also provides other rankings including the Best Places to Live in Pennsylvania.

Franklin Park ranked second, Marshall Township ranked seventh and Bradford Woods ranked eighth as best places to live in the Pittsburgh Area.

No specific rankings were listed for McCandless, but it did receive an Overall grade of A-plus.

All North Allegheny area communities received a C in weather.

School districts and others listed in the rankings do not pay to be included and it involves a very detailed, rigorous process, according to Alicia Stetzer, spokesperson for Niche.

Niche’s rankings combine user input. For school districts this includes ratings from current students, alumni and parents combined with quantitative data from sources such as the U.S. Department of Education to evaluate teachers, resources and facilities, extracurricular activity opportunities and more, she said.

Visit www.niche.com.