2 northwestern Pennsylvania high schools ranked among best in state by Money Inc
McDowell ranks 27th in the online finance site's list of the "30 Best High Schools in Pennsylvania." The rankings are based on graduation rate, advanced course participation, standardized test scores, career and technical education, and other academic indicators. Rankings also considered student support services and extracurricular opportunities.
Titusville High School in Crawford County also made the top-schools rankings, at No. 20.
The McDowell High School ranking includes McDowell Intermediate High School. McDowell High School serves students in grades 11 and 12. McDowell Intermediate serves students in grades nine and 10.
"The school has established a reputation for academic excellence and comprehensive educational programs," including a variety of Advanced Placement courses and a S.T.E.M. program preparing students for science and technology careers, Money Inc. said in its report.
Also according to the ranking, the school offers personalized instruction; has a well qualified staff, including many teachers with advanced degrees in their field; and has a number of students accepted at prestigious colleges and universities.
Extracurricular activities, including strong football, basketball and swimming programs, a nationally recognized debate team and award-winning music department also contributed to the ranking.
"This recognition exemplifies our commitment to academic excellence, college and career readiness, active community engagement, and a diverse range of extracurricular activities for students," Millcreek Township School District Superintendent John Cavanagh said.
"Such an achievement is made possible through the dedication of our outstanding students, committed educators, supportive families, strong leadership, and a school board that champions the initiatives contributing to our success."
The ranking will encourage educators to continue to meet and exceed standards, Cavanagh said.
"We are genuinely honored to be included on this list, and recognition such as this motivates us to continue our ongoing efforts toward continuous improvement."
Almost 2,200 students attended McDowell/McDowell Intermediate in 2024-25, according to Pennsylvania Department of Education data.
The school's No. 20 ranking is based on strong personalized education through a 15:1 student-teacher ratio, Advanced Placement and dual enrollment opportunities and strong extracurricular programs, including an acclaimed robotics program.
The school's career education programs also figured strongly in the school's ranking.
Dual enrollment: PennWest offering more low-cost courses to high school students
"The school prides itself on its community involvement and career preparation programs. Students benefit from partnerships with local businesses that provide internship and mentorship opportunities," according to the Money Inc report.
It's an honor to be included in the ranking, Titusville schools Superintendent Stephanie Keebler said.
"I am proud of the work our high school does, especially in preparing our students to succeed in whatever path they choose, whether it's post-secondary education, the military, technical school or simply being an effective employee in a work setting," Keebler said.
"Our high school is a very small rural school, and we do a lot for our students, including providing as many resources as possible to help students succeed."
About 580 students were enrolled at the school in 2024-25.
"It's great to see both Titusville and McDowell honored in northwestern Pennsylvania," Keebler said.
Erie County Technical School: $400,000 grant will help fund solar field
Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: McDowell, Titusville ranked among state's best high schools
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
a day ago
- Business Wire
Mary McDowell Joins Zebra Technologies Board of Directors
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Zebra Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ZBRA), a global leader in digitizing and automating frontline workflows, today announced that Mary McDowell has been appointed to the company's Board of Directors, effective July 25, 2025. With the addition of McDowell, Zebra's Board will have eleven members. McDowell will join the Board's Audit Committee. 'We welcome Mary McDowell to the Zebra Board of Directors and look forward to working with her as we deliver on our vision of digitizing and automating workflows for the frontline of business,' said Anders Gustafsson, Chair, Zebra Technologies. Share McDowell served as President, CEO, and Board Director of Mitel Networks, successfully navigating the $1B-revenue company through the pandemic and a shift in its value-creation strategy. She was also CEO and on the Board of Directors of Polycom, a leader in enterprise communications and collaboration, where she led the company through its strategic transformation and successful sale to Plantronics. In December 2024, McDowell was named the Board Chair for Informa TechTarget, a NASDAQ-listed company with a leading platform in B2B data and market access. She also serves on the board of Arrow Electronics, a Fortune 500 technology distributor and value-added provider. McDowell previously served on the boards of Autodesk, Informa, UBM, and Bazaarvoice. 'We welcome Mary McDowell to the Zebra Board of Directors and look forward to working with her as we deliver on our vision of digitizing and automating workflows for the frontline of business,' said Anders Gustafsson, Chair, Zebra Technologies. 'Her 30+ years of experience leading global technology organizations through significant business and technology transformations will support our goal of driving long-term value for our shareholders.' McDowell's earlier roles include Executive Partner at private equity firm Siris Capital and Executive Vice President at Nokia, where she led the company's $15B global feature phone business and associated software services sold in 180 countries with significant revenues coming from emerging markets. She also held senior positions at Hewlett Packard and Compaq Computer. 'I am honored to join the Zebra Board of Directors,' said McDowell. 'Zebra's commitment to creating new ways of working and harnessing the power of automation and AI align well with my passion for building strong, engaged organizations that deliver business success through great products and solutions. I look forward to contributing to the company's continued success.' With a track record of delivering strong financial performance and shareholder value creation through deep customer and employee engagement, McDowell has extensive domestic and international experience. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science from the Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. ABOUT ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES Zebra (NASDAQ: ZBRA) provides the solutions to help businesses grow through increased asset visibility, connected frontline workers and intelligent automation. The company operates in more than 100 countries, and our customers include over 80% of the Fortune 500. Designed for the frontline, Zebra's award-winning portfolio includes hardware, software, and services, all backed by our 50+ years of innovation and global partner ecosystem. Follow Zebra on our blog and LinkedIn, visit our newsroom and learn more at
CNET
21-07-2025
- CNET
Starlink Got Faster In the Past Two Years. It's Still Not Regularly Meeting Broadband Speeds
Starlink is nearly twice as fast as it was two years ago, according to a new report from the speed test site Ookla. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Median download speeds from the satellite internet provider have steadily ticked up over the past few years, going from 53.95 megabits per second in 2022 to 104.71Mbps today. That's an impressive feat considering Starlink added about 5 million customers over the same period and recently passed the 6 million mark globally. However, according to Ookla's data, only 17.4% of Starlink customers are getting internet speeds that meet the FCC's definition of minimum broadband speeds: 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload. Ookla "The fact that Starlink's median download speeds nearly doubled from Q3 2022 until Q1 2025 is definitely a notable and impressive development," Sue Marek, editorial director at Ookla, told CNET. "It indicates that their ongoing efforts to expand their satellite constellation's capacity is making a difference." Starlink accomplished that by drastically increasing its capacity. At the beginning of 2022, the company had about 1,761 satellites in orbit; today, that number stands at 7,607, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer who maintains a catalog of space objects. SpaceX, the company that owns Starlink, has said it eventually hopes to have as many as 42,000 satellites in space. It's going to need them. Recent changes to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program could funnel as much as $20 billion in government subsidies to Starlink for providing internet in rural areas. But many industry experts are skeptical that Starlink can add millions of new customers without sacrificing speed. Locating local internet providers That's a reasonable concern. While most subscribers are meeting the 100Mbps download speed threshold, Starlink's median upload speeds are just 14.84Mbps, falling short of the FCC's broadband definition, which ISPs must meet to receive BEAD money. Latency, or the time it takes data to get from your computer to where it's going, is also on the high side -- 45 milliseconds (ms) compared to 12ms for the country as a whole; CNET recommends around 50ms or lower for activities like online gaming. In October 2024, Maine began offering free Starlink dishes to residents in its 'hardest-to-reach locations.' I asked Brian Allenby, the senior director with the Maine Connectivity Authority, if he was concerned about Starlink hitting that 100/20Mbps benchmark in a previous interview. "We have a very granular level of reporting through the Starlink portal, and it has all been compliant," Allenby said. "So we don't have immediate concerns about that." A representative for Starlink didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. States that qualify for a free Starlink dish had higher speeds The Starlink experience can vary dramatically depending on where you live. Last week, the company instituted a "demand fee" of $500 in the Pacific Northwest to combat congestion in high-use areas. In other states with more capacity available, it's giving customers the $349 satellite dish for free. Ookla took a look at the areas where Starlink is offering free equipment and found that all of them, except West Texas and Alaska, had median download speeds over 100Mbps. South Dakota, Rhode Island and Wyoming had the highest percentage of customers meeting the 100/20Mbps benchmark, while Alaska, Mississippi and Louisiana had the lowest.
CNET
14-07-2025
- CNET
Starlink Doubled Its Speed In 2 Years. It Still Doesn't Meet the FCC's Definition of Broadband
Starlink is nearly twice as fast as it was two years ago, according to a new report from the speed test site Ookla. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.) Median download speeds from the satellite internet provider have steadily ticked up over the past few years, going from 53.95 megabits per second in 2022 to 104.71Mbps today. That's an impressive feat considering Starlink added about 5 million customers over the same period and recently passed the 6 million mark globally. Ookla "The fact that Starlink's median download speeds nearly doubled from Q3 2022 until Q1 2025 is definitely a notable and impressive development," Sue Marek, editorial director at Ookla, told CNET. "It indicates that their ongoing efforts to expand their satellite constellation's capacity is making a difference." Starlink accomplished that by drastically increasing its capacity. At the beginning of 2022, the company had about 1,761 satellites in orbit; today, that number stands at 7,607, according to Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer who maintains a catalog of space objects. SpaceX, the company that owns Starlink, has said it eventually hopes to have as many as 42,000 satellites in space. It's going to need them. Recent changes to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program could funnel as much as $20 billion in government subsidies to Starlink for providing internet in rural areas. But many industry experts are skeptical that Starlink can add millions of new customers without sacrificing speed. Locating local internet providers That's a reasonable concern. Ookla's data shows that only 17.4% of Starlink customers are currently getting internet speeds that meet the FCC's definition of minimum broadband speeds: 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload. That's also a requirement to receive BEAD money. While most subscribers are meeting the 100Mbps download speed threshold, Starlink's median upload speeds are just 14.84Mbps. Latency, or the time it takes data to get from your computer to where it's going, is also on the high side -- 45 milliseconds (ms) compared to 12ms for the country as a whole. CNET recommends around 50ms or lower for activities like online gaming. In October 2024, Maine began offering free Starlink dishes to residents in its 'hardest-to-reach locations.' I asked Brian Allenby, the senior director with the Maine Connectivity Authority, if he was concerned about Starlink hitting that 100/20Mbps benchmark in a previous interview. "We have a very granular level of reporting through the Starlink portal, and it has all been compliant," Allenby said. "So we don't have immediate concerns about that." A representative for Starlink didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. States that qualify for a free Starlink dish had higher speeds The Starlink experience can vary dramatically depending on where you live. Last week, the company instituted a "demand fee" of $500 in the Pacific Northwest to combat congestion in high-use areas. In other states with more capacity available, it's giving customers the $349 satellite dish for free. Ookla took a look at the areas where Starlink is offering free equipment and found that all of them, except West Texas and Alaska, had median download speeds over 100Mbps. South Dakota, Rhode Island and Wyoming had the highest percentage of customers meeting the 100/20Mbps benchmark, while Alaska, Mississippi and Louisiana had the lowest.
