SSA at a Glance

Established in 1883, Shady Side Academy is a co-ed, independent school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, offering grades PK–12 (with a five-day boarding option at the Senior School) on three beautiful campuses.  Here is a sample of successes earned during the 2009-10 school year.

• A fifth-grader went on an expedition to Antarctica and brought the entire Junior School along with him on a unique “virtual field trip.” Students followed his journey in real time via the Internet, e-mail and Skype video.
• In fall 2009, the girls’ golf team won its second straight PIAA championship and the girls’ field hockey team finished as WPIAL champions.
• The Senior School Speech and Debate Team advanced to the “Sweet 16” of an elite international competition.
• Through service projects, students at all three campuses raised nearly $7,000 for Haitian earthquake relief.
• Fifteen students earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement(AP) exams.
• The 2008 boys' soccer team received a Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association. The team had a combined GPA of 3.55 while finishing with a 21-3-1 overall record.
• More than 80 percent of Middle School students participated in the winter concert, performing in the Chorus, Core Choir, Band, Jazz Band, Jazz Ensemble and/or String Ensemble.
• Eight 10th and 11th grade students received Parkin Fellowships for Global Service and traveled to countries all over the world performing community and environmental service projects.
• Two Senior School students were recently named first and second chair of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra’s second violin section.
• Thirty-three seventh and eighth graders participated in the 25th Annual AmericanMathematics Competitions 8. The Middle School was awarded a Certificate of Meritfor its team performance. Our top scorer achieved AMC 8 distinguished honor roll status for finishing in the top one percent of all national and international contestants.

Fast Facts

• Total enrollment: 935
  • Junior School: 230
  • Middle School: 220
  • Senior School: 485 (including 45 five-day boarders)
• 55% male, 45% female
• 21% are students of color
• 15% receive financial aid; over $2.1 million in aid was distributed for the 2009–10 school year
• Students come from 80 different zip codes, seven counties, and Ohio
• Student to teacher ratio: 9 to 1
• Average class size: 13

Faculty

• Total of 115 faculty members; 60 percent hold advanced degrees
• Faculty receive $225,000 annually in professional development funds

College Placement

• 100% of students attend four-year colleges and universities.
• The top six schools chosen by the class of 2010 were Carnegie Mellon University, University of Michigan, George Washington University, Pennsylvania State University, Boston University and the University of Pittsburgh.
• The average SAT score for Shady Side Academy students is more than 400 points above the national average, with 67% of students scoring over 1800.
• Overall in 2010, 76% of those students who took Advanced Placement (AP) exams earned a score of 3 or higher.
• 18% of the class of 2010 was recognized by the National Merit Scholarship program with 7 students as semi-finalists and 7 as finalists.  Additionally we had 2 finalists in the National Achievement Scholarship program.

Junior School Facts

• Located on seven acres in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh
• New PK facility, built in 2007
• Athletic field
• 3 playgrounds, all recently renovated
• Gymnasium and performance stage
• 2 computer labs
• Spanish classroom (instruction begins in PK)
• Library with 12,000 volumes
• SMART Boards in every grade

Middle School Facts

• Located on 35 acres in the Fox Chapel neighborhood of Pittsburgh
• 2 athletic fields (MS athletes also use the facilities at the Senior School)
• Gymnasium
• Library with 14,000 volumes
• 2 computer labs
• SMART boards in every department

Senior School Facts

• College-like campus setting in Fox Chapel; 130 acres with 6 academic buildings, including the Benedum Visual Arts Center and the Hillman Center for Performing Arts
• Library with over 21,000 volumes
• 2 single-gender dormitories
• Rowe Hall classroom building was reopened in the fall of 2006 as a "green" building which is Gold LEED certified.  SMART boards are in every classroom.
• Athletic facilities include:
  • 2 gymnasiums
  • McKnight Ice Hockey Center
  • 6 athletic fields including a baseball facility and multi-purpose turf field with lights
  • 2 fitness facilities
  • 3 international-sized squash courts
  • 10 tennis courts
  • An 8-lane all-weather track

Accreditations and Associations

• PAIS (Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools)
• NAIS (National Association of Independent Schools)
• Middle States Assocation
• TABS (The Association of Boarding Schools)
• PCIS (Pittsburgh Consortium of Independent Schools)