# Conestoga High School

Conestoga High School, located in Tredyffrin Township, Pennsylvania, is the only upper secondary school in the Tredyffrin/Easttown School District. It has a Berwyn post office address, though it is not in the Berwyn census-designated place.
Conestoga, commonly referred to as "Stoga", is 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Philadelphia in the suburbs known as the Main Line.

## 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 colleges, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, The California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and The University of California, Berkeley. The most popular university choice for Conestoga students is Pennsylvania State University. The second most popular choice is the University of Pittsburgh. 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. 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 first 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:
| Test Type | National Average | Conestoga |
| Reading | 497 | 598 |
| Math | 513 | 607 |
| Writing | 487 | 590 |
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 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 (PSSA) were among the highest in the state in 2008.
| Test Type | State | Conestoga |
| Reading | 1470 | 1680 |
| Math | 1360 | 1600 |
| Writing | 1340 | 1600 |

## 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.

#### The Pioneer

The Pioneer is the Conestoga high school, student produced, award winning yearbook

#### 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 as The Folio.

### STEM Programs

Conestoga's science department has numerous STEM clubs and activities. Among them are Science Olympiad, chemistry, biology, computer science, and robotics.

### Academic competitions

Conestoga is a part of Chester County Academic Competition league, the DECA business competition, the HOSA (organization) medical 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.
| | Male | Female | | Male | Female | | Male | Female |
| Fall | Cross Country | Cross Country | Winter | Basketball | Basketball | Spring | Baseball | Softball |
| | Football | Field Hockey | | Swimming | Swimming | | Lacrosse | Lacrosse |
| | Golf | Golf | | Indoor Track | Indoor Track | | Track | Track |
| | Soccer | Soccer | | Wrestling | Cheerleading | | Tennis | |
| | | Tennis | | | | | | |
| | | Volleyball | | | | | | |
| | | Cheerleading | | | | | | |

#### PIAA state championships

* Girls Tennis
** Singles – 1987
** Doubles – 1991
** Team – 2021, 2022
* Boys Soccer – 1988, 2011, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2023
* Girls Soccer – 2007, 2008
* Boys Tennis
** Singles – 1989, 1990, 2012
** Doubles – 1966, 1972
** Team – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2023, 2024
* 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, 2024
* Girls Track & Field
** Individual
*** 4×800m Relay – 2009, 2010
*** 1600 m Run – 2006
*** 1600 m Relay – 2004
*** 3200 m Relay – 2000
* Boys Track & Field
** Individual
*** Shot Put – 2002
* Field Hockey - 2024

### Athletic clubs
#### Fall

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

#### Winter

* Archery
* Ice Hockey
* Squash
* Chess

#### Spring

* Archery
* 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
* Volleyball

## Notable alumni

* Dave Bush, former professional baseball player, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Toronto Blue Jays
* Brian Chippendale, rock drummer and vocalist
* Jake Cohen, professional basketball player, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Israeli national basketball team
* Chris Donovan, professional soccer player, Philadelphia Union
* Jennie Eisenhower, actress, granddaughter of President Richard Nixon, and great-granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower
* Robert Ellis, author
* Drew Endy, bioengineering professor, Stanford University, and founder of the Registry of Standard Biological Parts
* FanFan, singer and actress
* Gregg Foreman, musician and actor
* Todd Glass, comedian and actor
* Pat Heim, professional lacrosse player
* Mark Herzlich, professional football player
* Roger Hobbs, author
* Elizabeth Hoffman, executive vice-president, Iowa State University, president emerita, University of Colorado
* Keith Hughes. former professional baseball player
* Kasie Hunt, political correspondent
* Chris Hurst, TV anchor and member of the Virginia House of Delegates
* Abbi Jacobson, actress and co-creator of Comedy Central TV series Broad City
* Larry Krasner, 26th District Attorney of Philadelphia
* Brendon Little, professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs
* Craig Lucas, Tony Award-nominated playwright
* Mt. Joy, Indie folk/rock band featuring alumni Matt Quinn and Sam Cooper
* Brian Munroe, Pennsylvania State Representative
* P.T. Ricci, professional lacrosse player
* Johanna Schmitt, professor of evolution and ecology, University of California, Davis and professor of natural history, Brown University
* Grant Shaud, actor
* Tommy Shields, professional baseball player, Chicago Cubs
* Glenn R. Simpson, journalist
* Melissa Shusterman, Pennsylvania State Representative
* Marquis Weeks, professional football player

## Hazing scandal

In 2015, there was a legal case involving students who were in their first year at Conestoga High School. Among them was a 14-year-old male freshman who was a part of the varsity football team. Many of the older football players regarded this young student as overly self-assured and confrontational.
During the course of the legal proceedings surrounding inappropriate text messages, the father of the accused minor informed the school that his son had experienced bullying several months earlier at the hands of the Conestoga football team. This included an incident in which a broomstick was inserted into his son's rectum. Complying with legal obligations, this report was forwarded to the Tredyffrin Township Police Department, who then sought guidance from the District Attorney's Office.
Subsequently, three juveniles chose to acknowledge their involvement in acts of harassment. They confessed that two individuals had physically restrained the victim while the third used a broomstick to intimidate him. These charged juveniles admitted that their intention had been to instill fear in the victim.