Great Valley High School

Secondary school in Malvern, Pennsylvania, United States

Great Valley High School

Great Valley High School in Malvern, Pennsylvania

Address

225 Phoenixville Pike

Malvern

Pennsylvania

United States

Coordinates| 40°03′24″N 75°34′02″W﻿ / ﻿40.056763°N 75.567095°W﻿ / 40.056763; -75.567095
Information
School type| Public, Secondary
Established| 1962
School district| Great Valley School District
Principal| Heidi Capetola
Teaching staff| 105.90 (FTE)[1]
Grades| 9–12
Enrollment| 1,403 (2022-2023)[1]
Student to teacher ratio| 13.25[1]
Color(s)|  Blue and White
Mascot| Patriot
Website| http://www.gvsd.org/gvhs

Great Valley High School is a comprehensive, college preparatory, public high school located in Malvern, Pennsylvania.[2] Located on the same campus as Great Valley Middle School at 225 North Phoenixville Pike,[3] it is the only high school in the Great Valley School District.

This high school serves students residing in the Great Valley School District in Grades nine through twelve and enrolls roughly 1,150 to 1,175 students per year. The student to teacher ratio is approximately 14:1.

## Academics

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Great Valley is consistently ranked among the top public high schools in Pennsylvania.[4] In 2016, for instance, The Washington Post ranked Great Valley High School among "America's Most Challenging High Schools", ranking it as the ninth-best high school in Pennsylvania.[5]

In 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked the school seventh-best in the state and 398th-best nationally.[6] Newsweek magazine ranked the school as 169th-best in the country. In 2023, the College Board listed the school on its AP Honor Roll.[7]

Students at Great Valley High School score in the top 1% in the state in math and science. In 2012, Great Valley High School was ranked first in the state for student performance in science.[8]

## Athletics

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Further information: Ches-Mont League

A logo for Great Valley's High School athletics

Great Valley High School is a member of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA). Students are subject to guidelines and principles determined by this organization. Great Valley is a member of the Ches-Mont League and PIAA's District One region. It used to belong to the now defunct Southern Chester County League. Great Valley's largest athletic rival is the Unionville High School Longhorns. The high school offers athletics in all high school grades. In addition, it has an intramural program.

The school has been to and won various state championships. The most recent girls state championship win was by the lacrosse team in 2002, 2005, and 2015. The most recent appearance was in 2006 when the boys soccer team lost in the championship game, but they did win states in 1989, 1990, and 1993. The boys tennis team appeared in the team state championships in 2008 but lost in the semifinals. The tennis team however won states in 2018 after beating Radnor High School. In 2010, the boys baseball team made their first trip to the state tournament, winning their first game before losing in the quarterfinals. The boys cross country team placed 11th (2010), 8th (2011), and 6th (2012) in the state championship meet. In 2011, the 4 × 400 m relay of Great Valley's storied track & field program came in first in the High School Boys Suburban ChesMont 4x400 event in the Penn Relays, with a time of 3:25.51[9]

## Notable events

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* In May 1969, two students stole a corpse from the cemetery and hung it from the flag pole. Both were arrested.[10]

* In April 2008, then U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama held a town hall meeting at Great Valley High School in the gymnasium during his 2008 election campaign. The meeting was open to the public and several students won the opportunity to sit in the meeting while the rest watched a live taping of it. Two Great Valley students were selected to sing The Star-Spangled Banner before Obama and those who attended the meeting.[11]

## Notable alumni

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* Cheryl Abplanalp, Team USA handball player in 1996 Summer Olympics
* Nasir Adderley, former professional football player, Los Angeles Chargers
* Mikal Bridges, professional basketball player, New York Knicks
* Fritz Coleman, former weather anchor on KNBC-TV in Los Angeles and stand-up comedian
* Amanda Jane Cooper, Broadway actress, Glinda in Wicked
* Joe Devlin, former professional football player, Buffalo Bills
* Adam McKay, Academy Award-winning actor, writer, and director
* Jimmy McLaughlin, FC Cincinnati professional soccer player
* Duane Milne, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Thom Nickels, author and journalist
* Bryan Russell, record producer
* Alice Sebold, writer
* Chris Young, actor, producer, and director

## Renovation

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In 2006, a $36 million renovation was completed on the 1962 building. An addition was added to house the school's STEM classrooms, and a new courtyard and lobby were installed with the expectation that the renovation will allow the school district to serve the Great Valley region for years to come.[12]

## References

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1. ^ a b c "Great Valley HS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
2. ^ "Zoning Map". East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania. Retrieved 2021-03-31.
3. ^ "Contacts." Malvern, Pennsylvania: Great Valley School District, retrieved online February 7, 2023.
4. ^ About Page. Malvern Pennsylvania: Great Valley School District Education Foundation, retrieved online February 7, 2023.
5. ^ "Pennsylvania Schools - The Washington Post". apps.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
6. ^ "Great Valley High School" (overview and statistics), in "Best High Schools." Washington, D.C.: U.S. News & World Report, retrieved online February 7, 2023.
7. ^ "AP® District of the Year Awards: 2nd Annual Honor Roll." New York, New York: College Board National Office, retrieved online February 7, 2023.
8. ^ "Academic Achievement, Great Valley High School, 2013-2015 (archived copy)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-22.
9. ^ "The Penn Relays - April 28-30, 2011". Archived from the original on 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
10. ^ "Clipped From The Mercury". The Mercury. 1969-05-14. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
11. ^ landenbourg (2008-04-09), Barack in Great Valley, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2016-08-11
12. ^ "Great Valley project to go ahead A judge refused to halt the bid process on a high school renovation, despite the objections of contractors". Retrieved 2016-08-11.

## External links

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* Official website

* v
* t
* e

East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania

Landmarks|

* Great Valley Corporate Center
* St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley
* Spring Mill Complex
* White Horse Tavern

Education|

* Great Valley School District
* Great Valley High School
* Penn State Great Valley
* Immaculata University

This list is incomplete.

* v
* t
* e

Chester County, Pennsylvania schools

Main school districts

Avon Grove|

* Avon Grove High School

Coatesville Area|

* Coatesville Area High School

Downingtown Area|

* Downingtown High School
* Downingtown STEM Academy

Great Valley|

* Great Valley High School

Kennett Consolidated|

* Kennett High School

Owen J. Roberts|

* Owen J. Roberts High School

Oxford Area|

* Oxford Area High School

Phoenixville Area|

* Phoenixville Area High School

Tredyffrin/Easttown|

* Conestoga High School

Other schools

Charter schools|

* Achievement House Charter School
* Avon Grove Charter School
* Collegium Charter School
* Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School
* Renaissance Academy Charter School

Octorara Area|

* Octorara Junior-Senior High School
* Other schools are in Lancaster County

Private schools|

* Center for Arts and Technology
* Church Farm School
* Devon Preparatory School
* Kimberton Waldorf School
* Malvern Preparatory School
* The Concept School
* Upattinas School and Resource Center
* Westtown School

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia|

* Bishop Shanahan High School
* Vanguard School
* Villa Maria Academy

Spring-Ford Area|

* Spring-Ford Senior High School
* Other schools are in Montgomery County

Twin Valley|

* Twin Valley High School
* Other schools are in Berks County

Unionville-Chadds Ford|

* Unionville High School
* Other schools are in Delaware County

West Chester Area|

* West Chester East High School
* West Chester Henderson High School
* West Chester Rustin High School
* Other schools are in Delaware County

Sections of the Octorara Area, Spring-Ford, Twin Valley, Unionville-Chadds Ford, and West Chester school districts extend into other counties; only schools in Chester County should be listed in this template

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI

Geographic|

* NCES

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template