York Suburban High School is a Middle-States accredited, comprehensive four-year high school with an enrollment of 886 students. The school is located in a residential neighborhood at 1800 Hollywood Drive on the corner of Southern Road and Hollywood Drive. Of its faculty of 81 certified professionals, 85% have completed their master's degree. Teaching experience averages 15.58 years. The school has a student-teacher ratio of 10.8:1. 

York Suburban opened its doors in September 1958 as a school housing approximately 1250 students in grades 7-12. At the time, there were 53 instructors on a team of 61 professionals. Later, the school was modified to accommodate only grades 9-12, as it does today. 

The current student body is comprised of 230 ninth grade students, 217 tenth grade students, 225 juniors and 208 seniors. Students may select from 160 courses to fill a seven-period day (7:55 - 3:00) on a six day cycle. Offerings in English, social studies, science, mathematics and foreign languages (4) are year-long courses taught at the General, College Preparatory (CP), and College Preparatory Advanced (CPA) levels. CPA courses are considered honors courses, and weighted 1.1 or 1.2, rather that 1.0 for all others. Full year courses are awarded 1.0 credits; semester courses, 0.5 credits. Electives are offered in the following departments and may last for one or two semesters: Art, Business Education/Computer, Family and Consumer Service, Music, and Technology Education. Students must pass four years of physical education in order to graduate, but no credit is given. Students in the class of 2009 must earn 21 credits to graduate: 4 in English, 3 each in social studies, science and mathematics, and 7 in electives including required course in health, computer applications and safety.  Beginning with the class of 2010, seniors will be required to earn 23 credits to graduate.  Please see your student counselor, or refer to your course guide, for further explanation. 

Additional academic services include an extensive program for learning support and gifted students. Independent studies are offered in most areas of the curriculum in addition to internship opportunities and volunteerism for credit. There are two college campuses within a mile of the high school providing easy access for students to take college courses. A Diversified Occupations program allows students to incorporate a work experience into their curriculum. 

An extensive guidance program, presented in a structured four year curriculum, helps prepare students for the decisions they face after high school. Four counselors divide the students by alphabet and carry an average case load of 210. Students are guided through an extensive career exploration process, followed by a process of selection of appropriate post-high school opportunities. 

The extracurricular opportunities at York Suburban are very extensive. Twenty athletic teams compete for the Trojans of YS. Theatre opportunities include a junior and senior class play, drama club, annual musical and a chapter of the International Thespian Society. There is a National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Spanish and German Honor Society. The music program includes opportunities in Marching and Concert band, Concert Choir, YS Singers, Stage Band, String Ensemble and Wind Ensemble. There is an active Student Council with a membership of approximately 90 students who maintain a $18,000 budget. YS boasts an award winning yearbook and a student newspaper. There is an active Ski club and Model United Nations. A large percentage of our student population is active in at least one extracurricular program. 

COLLEGE PREPARATORY ADVANCED COURSES

York Suburban has opted to offer our individualized CPA courses in place of AP courses. Much of the same material is incorporated into our courses, and our students have consistently performed very well on the AP Exams. The mean grades earned by York Suburban students on the AP Exams over the past five years are: 

GRADING

Students are issued a grade report every nine weeks. For most courses, a grade is calculated on a percentage basis. Some courses use the following grades: 

 

E-Excellent		X-Excused
S-Satisfactory		I-Incomplete
U-Unsatisfactory

The four marking period grades are averaged together to compute a year long percentage average. The final percentage is then converted to a 4.0 scale using the following conversion: 

NATIONAL MERIT AWARDS

PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS PURSUING HIGHER EDUCATION

COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS

Students in the top 20% of their classes for the past few years have chosen to attend the following schools: 

A sampling of the schools attended by students outside the top 20% over the last three years include: 

Classrooms for the Future

Educators are witnessing how technology can be a powerful tool for connecting students to the global learning community and for challenging them to be critical consumers and innovators. Classrooms for the Future has helped many schools get started. Here at York Suburban, we look forward to next year and the possibility of equipping more teachers and students with powerful 21st century tools. Right now, five of our teachers and their students are benefiting from a combination of MacBook computers, ceiling-mounted projectors, and digital interactive whiteboards. This technology enhances instruction in several significant ways:

Project Lead the Way Certification
The York Suburban High School has received full certification from Project Lead The Way®, a middle and high school math, science, technology, engineering curriculum offered throughout the nation. The structured yet flexible high school program offers students in-depth, hands-on knowledge of engineering and technology-based careers. The foundation courses offered by York Suburban include Introduction to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering and Digital Electronics. The goal is to encourage students to become interested in these fields and to consider such future study as pre-engineering and engineering technology.

For more information on Project Lead the Way®, a link is listed below. To see the certified school listing, select Engineering, then Locations, then PA.

www.pltw.org/index.cfm

Engagement
Students are excited to use the extensive resources for exploration and creation. We know that when they are engaged, we can help them LEARN! The on-demand access to the Internet allows students to interact and learn from others across the state, across the country, and even around the world.

Ownership in Learning
Technology can help teachers pass the torch to the students. Using the computer software and Internet, students can conduct their own inquiry. It's all about making connections! Students can build their digital portfolios with a combination of text, image, audio, and even video.

Ease of Access
When the tools are available on demand, teachers can plan in a whole new way. CFF allows teachers and students to use the right tool at the right time! No need to worry about the possibility that the lab will be unavailable when you need it.