Latrobe/Westmoreland County and Schools (Pittsburgh, Greensburg: home, school districts, to live)

[ChloeBill]

Hi all,

We are considering a new job in the Latrobe area and are unsure where we might live. Our main concern is schools.

Our children (elementary age) currently attend a Catholic school in a Pittsburgh suburb. The Catholic school options in Greensburg/Latrobe are not ideal -- the only viable option seems to be Aquinas Academy in Greensburg, and it is more expensive than what we're used to ($5,000/child, with no multiple-child discount, and we have four children). Holy Trinity in Ligonier looks very nice, but it is small (135 students), and I know enough about Catholic schools to know it's probably too small for long-term viability.

As for public schools -- we would like an excellent school district, and when I peruse test scores and rankings, I don't see one in the immediate area. Greater Latrobe seems to be solid enough, but not excellent. The best option on paper seems to be Franklin Regional in Murrysville; however, for pretty much every other aspect of life, we'd rather be in Latrobe/Unity Township.

Can anyone comment on the above schools/districts and perhaps convince us of a good school option? Is there any chance Greater Latrobe is an up-and-coming district that is not reflected yet in their high school test scores? I note Greater Latrobe Junior High has higher rates of reading and math proficiency than the High School does (as recorded by US News). Or is this wishful thinking on our part?

Search Pennsylvania High Schools | US News

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

[Pitt Chick]

Latrobe is a solid school system, with their kids going into Ivies, service academies and pretty much whatever school(s) they want.
It is also very safe.

So you already ruled out CDT?
Christ the Divine Teacher Catholic School - Latrobe, Pennsylvania Diocese of Greensburg

[ChloeBill]

PittChick, thanks for your reply. I would need to do more research into Christ the Divine Teacher. I have a friend who has lived her whole life in the Latrobe area, and she said she thought the best Catholic option for both academics and viability (quite frankly, one of our main concerns in this era of Catholic school closures) is Aquinas Academy. However, we are absolutely open to second opinions on the matter.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by ChloeBill

PittChick, thanks for your reply. I would need to do more research into Christ the Divine Teacher. I have a friend who has lived her whole life in the Latrobe area, and she said she thought the best Catholic option for both academics and viability (quite frankly, one of our main concerns in this era of Catholic school closures) is Aquinas Academy. However, we are absolutely open to second opinions on the matter.

I have heard good things about Mother of Sorrows in Murrysville.

[Billy53]

Don't sell Latrobe short, I live in the City since my children are grown but they graduated from Latrobe and were both were early admission to Pitt and both have received Masters degrees. My daughter has 2 Masters degrees. Not to mention from my sons friends the are a couple of engineers, a doctor and a Phd in Chemistry. Franklin Regional has nothing on Latrobe from a educational standard.

[villageidiot1]

Originally Posted by ChloeBill

Hi all,

We are considering a new job in the Latrobe area and are unsure where we might live. Our main concern is schools.

Our children (elementary age) currently attend a Catholic school in a Pittsburgh suburb. The Catholic school options in Greensburg/Latrobe are not ideal -- the only viable option seems to be Aquinas Academy in Greensburg, and it is more expensive than what we're used to ($5,000/child, with no multiple-child discount, and we have four children). Holy Trinity in Ligonier looks very nice, but it is small (135 students), and I know enough about Catholic schools to know it's probably too small for long-term viability.

As for public schools -- we would like an excellent school district, and when I peruse test scores and rankings, I don't see one in the immediate area. Greater Latrobe seems to be solid enough, but not excellent. The best option on paper seems to be Franklin Regional in Murrysville; however, for pretty much every other aspect of life, we'd rather be in Latrobe/Unity Township.

Can anyone comment on the above schools/districts and perhaps convince us of a good school option? Is there any chance Greater Latrobe is an up-and-coming district that is not reflected yet in their high school test scores? I note Greater Latrobe Junior High has higher rates of reading and math proficiency than the High School does (as recorded by US News). Or is this wishful thinking on our part?

Search Pennsylvania High Schools | US News

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

Have you looked at the Pittsburgh Business Times Ranking? It places Latrobe SD as 4th in Westmoreland behind the following:
1. Franklin Regional
2. Penn-Trafford
3. Norwin
4. Latrobe
5. Ligonier
6. Greensburg Salem

See Honor Roll Local Ranking Information - Pittsburgh Business Times

I have always heard good things about the Latrobe SD. The Franklin Regional SD is probably the least attractive in the top six for commuting to the Latrobe area.

[ChloeBill]

villageidiot1, thanks for the link. We did see the PBT rankings. My husband is a graduate of Penn-Trafford, so we are fairly familiar with that district.

Essentially, we are trying to weigh schools vs. geographic considerations. We like Latrobe/Unity Township's geography and setting (mountains, quieter section of Route 30) -- much more so than North Huntingdon, Penn Township, Murrysville, etc. I am not sure if one or two spots higher in rank is enough to make a decision to live elsewhere. A big leap forward in quality, however, IS enough -- thus we would consider Murrysville to put us in Franklin Regional.

Billy53, what you write supports what I was thinking -- which is that GLSD is probably very similar to my own high school alma mater.

[safak]

Originally Posted by ChloeBill

villageidiot1, thanks for the link. We did see the PBT rankings. My husband is a graduate of Penn-Trafford, so we are fairly familiar with that district.

Essentially, we are trying to weigh schools vs. geographic considerations. We like Latrobe/Unity Township's geography and setting (mountains, quieter section of Route 30) -- much more so than North Huntingdon, Penn Township, Murrysville, etc. I am not sure if one or two spots higher in rank is enough to make a decision to live elsewhere. A big leap forward in quality, however, IS enough -- thus we would consider Murrysville to put us in Franklin Regional.

Billy53, what you write supports what I was thinking -- which is that GLSD is probably very similar to my own high school alma mater.

i agree with you all 3 of those school districts are kind of lame. norwin too commercial and bad traffic..pt is 15 miles of housing plan, and murrysville takes the worst of both and squishes them together.

i don't see any reason someone would move to murrysville instead of latrobe, when you like latrobe better and work in latrobe, simply because some kids who you don't know scored half a point higher on some test.

if your kids are smart and driven and have good parents it shouldn't matter if they went almost anywhere, let alone latrobe.

[ChloeBill]

>I have heard good things about Mother of Sorrows in Murrysville.

robrobrob, can you tell me what you've heard? Their web site was not super-informative.

[Augie6]

Originally Posted by safak

i agree with you all 3 of those school districts are kind of lame. norwin too commercial and bad traffic..pt is 15 miles of housing plan, and murrysville takes the worst of both and squishes them together. ---- While, i do like all 3 areas, great job describing.

i don't see any reason someone would move to murrysville instead of latrobe, when you like latrobe better and work in latrobe, simply because some kids who you don't know scored half a point higher on some test.

if your kids are smart and driven and have good parents it shouldn't matter if they went almost anywhere, let alone latrobe.

Yes, Schools do vary in quality, but ulitimatley home life and kid has more to do with the situation than the school.. Just the notion of the OP asking the question I would NO worries that thier children will not prosper in any of the mentioned districts.

GREAT POOST SAFAK