West Chester Rustin High School | |
---|---|
Address | |
1100 Shiloh Road , Pennsylvania 19382 United States | |
Coordinates | 39°56′17″N75°33′12″W / 39.9380°N 75.5534°W |
Information | |
Type | High school |
Established | 2006 |
Principal | Michael Marano |
Staff | 89.61 (FTE) [1] |
Grades | 9–12 |
Enrollment | 1,215 (2021-22) [1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 13.56 [1] |
Campus size | 108 acres [2] |
Area | 260,000 sq. ft. [3] |
Color(s) | Navy Blue, Vegas Gold and White |
Athletics | Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association |
Mascot | Golden Knight |
Website | Official website |
Bayard Rustin High School is a high school of the West Chester Area School District, in Westtown Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. [4]
Communities served by West Chester Rustin include sections of Westtown Township, West Chester borough, East Bradford Township, East Goshen Township, Thornbury Township of Chester County, Thornbury Township of Delaware County, and West Goshen Township. [4] [5]
The newest high school in the district, it is named after openly gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin, himself a West Chester native. Construction began in 2003 and the school opened in 2006. [6] Rustin was named one of Newsweek's top 500 high schools in America in 2011. [7] As of 2020, Rustin was ranked number 854 in National Rankings and #24 in Pennsylvania schools according to U.S. News & World Report . [8]
The West Chester Area School District announced plans to build a new public high school in 2002. In May, the district school board voted 6–3 to name the school after Bayard Rustin, the West Chester-born civil rights leader and principal organizer of the historic 1963 March on Washington, during which Martin Luther King Jr delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. It chose the name over an alternate option, Maple Shade High School. [9]
However, the board was later forced to reopen discussions after criticism. June Cardosi, one of the board members, opposed Rustin's "un-American" anti-war efforts and brief membership in the Young Communist League. She and others also did not want to name the high school after someone who was openly gay. [9] [10]
A twelve-person committee was formed to investigate; it concluded that "we have not seen, read, or heard anything that would give us reason to change our recommendation". [11] In December 2002, the school board held a second vote, confirming the Bayard Rustin name by the same 6–3 margin. [11] [12]
Designed by Gilbert Architects, construction on Rustin High School began in 2003 and cost $46 million to build. [3] [2] [13] The school opened in September 2006, led by principal Phyllis Simmons. [6]
Following the retirement of Simmons in 2014, Michael Marano was hired to become the high school's new principal. [14]
In 2015, the school district approved the sale of 50 acres of land next to the high school to a housing developer. [15] The land, valued at $5 million, was originally intended for an elementary school that would replace two existing schools, Penn Wood Elementary and Westtown-Thornbury Elementary.
Group | No. of students | Percentage |
---|---|---|
White | 970 | 80.16% |
Asian | 66 | 5.45% |
Hispanic | 70 | 5.78% |
Black | 67 | 5.53% |
Two or more races | 35 | 2.89% |
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.16% |
American Indian/Alaska Native | 0 | 0% |
Total | 1,210 | 100% |
Group | No. of students | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Male | 635 | 52.26% |
Female | 580 | 47.74% |
Total | 1,215 | 100% |
Rustin's Science Olympiad team started the same year the school opened, 2006–2007, and has made nationals five times, in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019 placing 14th, 18th, 13th, 21st, and 16th respectively.[ citation needed ]
Rustin also hosts an invitational for middle school teams every year, one of the largest on the east coast.[ citation needed ]
Chester County, colloquially referred to as Chesco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Delaware Valley region, located in the southeastern part of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 534,413, increasing by 7.1% from 498,886 in 2010. The county seat is the Borough of West Chester. The most populous of its 73 municipalities is Tredyffrin Township. The most populous boroughs are West Chester and Phoenixville. Coatesville is the only municipality in the County organized under the City form of government, a technical rather than demographic distinction. Chester County was one of the three original Pennsylvania counties created by William Penn in 1682. It was named for Chester, England.
Birmingham Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,085 at the 2020 census.
East Bradford Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,308 at the 2020 census.
East Goshen Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,026 at the 2010 census.
Thornbury Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,017 at the 2010 census. It is adjacent to, and was once joined with, Thornbury Township, Delaware County.
West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighboring townships. When calculated by mailing address, the population as of the 2010 U.S. Census was 108,696, which would make it the 10th largest city by mailing address in the state of Pennsylvania.
West Goshen Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 23,040 at the 2020 census. In 2013, Money Magazine voted West Goshen as the 10th best place to live in America. West Goshen has also been ranked in the top 15 places to live in America from 2014 to 2017 and is also at the top of best neighborhoods to raise a family in Pennsylvania every year.
West Whiteland Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 19,632 at the 2020 census.
Westtown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,827 at the 2010 census.
Willistown Township is a township in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 10,497 at the 2010 census. At the 1860 census, the population of Willistown was 1,521, and in 1980 it was 8,269.
Thornbury Township is a township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the population was 8,028, up from 7,093 at the 2000 census. It is adjacent to, and was once joined with, Thornbury Township in Chester County. It includes part of the census designated place of Cheyney University.
Bayard Rustin was an American political activist, a prominent leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Rustin was the principal organizer of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
The Bernards Township School District is a comprehensive community public school district, serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from Bernards Township in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
The West Chester Area School District (WCASD) serves the borough and surrounding townships of West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. The other parts include the surrounding townships of East Bradford, East Goshen, Thornbury, West Goshen, West Whiteland, and Westtown, all in Chester County, as well as Thornbury Township in adjacent Delaware County. The WCASD consists of eleven elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools, as of the fall 2022 school year. Elementary schools include grades 1-5, middle schools grades 6-8, and high schools grades 9-12.
B. Reed Henderson High School is located partially in the borough of West Chester and partially in West Goshen Township in Pennsylvania. B. Reed Henderson is one of the three high schools in the West Chester Area School District.
The Mendham Borough Schools are a community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade from Mendham Borough, in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.
Pennsylvania Route 926 is a 26.2-mile-long (42.2 km) state route located west of Philadelphia in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The western terminus of the route is at PA 10 in Upper Oxford Township. The eastern terminus is at PA 3 in the Philadelphia suburb of Willistown Township. The route is known as Street Road for its entire length. For 0.9 miles (1.4 km), PA 926 runs along the county line between Delaware and Chester counties. The route passes through a mix of suburban and rural areas along its extent. PA 926 is two lanes and undivided its entire length.
The 156th Pennsylvania House of Representatives District is located in Chester County and includes the following areas:
West Chester East High School is a public four-year high school located in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, United States, near West Chester.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 160 includes parts of Chester County and Delaware County. It is currently represented by Republican Craig Williams.