Public Schools  -  Special Programs  -   Private Schools  -
  Colleges and Universities   -  Adult Programs

One of the greatest assets of the Huntingdon area are its public and private educational institutions. Huntingdon is the home of Juniata College, a 1,200 student liberal arts college with a national reputation. The University Park Campus of The Pennsylvania State University is just 30 miles from downtown Huntingdon. Six school districts serve the surrounding county with K through 12 education. DuBois Business College maintains a local campus as well.

Public Schools

The Huntingdon Area is served by the Huntingdon Area and Juniata Valley School Districts, providing grades K through 12. The Huntingdon Area School District is modernizing its school facilities by building two new elementary schools and renovating other buildings. With 150 and 94 computers respectively, these schools are seeking to prepare students for a technology-filled future. In Huntingdon 67% of the students leave to pursue higher education, with a 52% rate at Juniata Valley. Crime, violence, and drugs are extremely rare in these schools; you'll find few schools that are safer

"If you're a student who wants to get lost in the crowd, you're not going to like it here. We're not going to let anyone hide in or fall through the cracks." That's one of the advantages of attending Huntingdon County's public schools, as described by a local high school guidance counselor.

The Mount Union and Southern Huntingdon County School Districts serve southeastern Huntingdon County. Two municipalities in the northwestern corner of the county are part of the Tyrone Area School District, headquartered in Blair County, and seven municipalities in the southwestern corner of the county are included in Bedford County's Tussey Mountain School District.

The high schools in the Huntingdon County districts offer academic, business, vocational-agriculture, and vocational-technical curriculums.

The four county districts are joint owners and operators of the Huntingdon County Career and Technology Center located in Mill Creek. Technology Center students spend half a day at their home schools and the other half at the Center.

The enrollments in all the schools are low enough and the staffing high enough that students receive personal attention from instructors and support staff. That may explain the remarkably low drop-out rate among Huntingdon County students—averaging less than three percent. Guidance counselors report that graduates wishing to attend post-secondary schools are well prepared for and well received at those institutions.

Although the local districts never have an easy time making financial ends meet, the school boards have not tried to cut costs by sacrificing field trips, arts and humanities programs, and extracurricular activities. Students can choose from a large number of athletic, theatrical, scholarly and musical organizations.

Special Programs

Each district offers programs for exceptional children, both the academically gifted and the academically and physically challenged. Some of these programs are run in association with the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit, a centralized provider of academic services. The intermediate unit also provides the districts with a large library of audio-visual materials that the districts would be unable to afford individually. All the county's districts are members of the "Access Pennsylvania" electronic interlibrary loan program, through which library materials can be borrowed from hundreds of other participating libraries.

Some of the county's gifted children participate in the "Odyssey of the Mind" program, in which youngsters demonstrate their knowledge of science and humanities at creative and challenging competitions. Advanced senior high students can take courses at area colleges. The schools frequently host guest artists and hobbyists, and class projects are often undertaken with the assistance of specialists from the community.

Each summer Juniata College sponsors the New Visions and Voyages educational camps for children aged 4-7 and 8-10, respectively. Participants are introduced to subjects of their choice, including astronomy, geology, poetry, foreign languages, and many others.

Private Schools

Two Christian schools operate in Huntingdon County: the Calvary Christian Academy, operated by Calvary Independent Baptist Church, and the Huntingdon Christian Academy, operated by Emmanuel Bible Church. Both schools have K-12 academic programs and limited sports programs. In 1992-93, Calvary Christian's enrollment was 62, and Huntingdon Christian's, 20.

Several Protestant denominations support the Belleville Mennonite School in neighboring Mifflin County. Belleville had an enrollment of 231 in grades K-12 in 1992-93. Students wanting to attend a Catholic school can commute to Altoona or Hollidaysburg in neighboring Blair County.

The Grier School, located in Birmingham Borough, is a non-sectarian college-preparatory boarding school for girls in grades 7 through 12. Grier has an international student body, with nearly 40 percent of the 142 students from foreign counties in 1992-93. The school welcomes area residents to attend as commuting students.

Colleges and Universities

Huntingdon Borough is home to Juniata College, a four-year co-educational, independent, liberal arts college that is highly regarded for academic excellence. Juniata has an annual enrollment of 1,200, with 92 percent living on campus.

The college offers traditional bachelor of science and bachelor of arts programs, but it also allows students to create their own "program of emphasis," combining multiple academic programs. Juniata's natural science program is particularly well respected, and its placement rate into medical, dental and veterinary schools averages 90 percent. Class sizes are small, with an average student-to-teacher ratio of 13:1. Although many faculty members are engaged in research, their first commitment is to teaching.

The main campus of Penn State houses nearly 38,000 students who attend graduate and undergraduate classes at University Park. PSU is both a research and teaching institution with course offerings in 11 colleges and schools. Among its outstanding programs are agricultural sciences, business, engineering, and meteorology.

Other colleges and institutions within commuting distance are Shippensburg University in Cumberland County; Penn State's Altoona Campus, Blair County; Mount Aloysius College, Cambria County; and Saint Francis College, Cambria County. Occasionally colleges located outside the county will offer satellite courses here.

Adult Programs

Juniata College offers an outstanding tuition discount to academically-qualified adults who have been out of high school at least five years. Adult students can take any of the college's classes at half the normal tuition rates. The college also offers a "certificate in management" program for adults in the business community preparing for supervisory positions. Topics in the program include principles of management, dynamics of supervision, computer applications, and financial accounting. Participants must take six of the evening courses to earn a certificate. Three courses are offered each year.

Adults are welcome to enroll in any of the daytime secondary programs offered at the Huntingdon County Area Vocational-Technical School or in the vo-tech's post-secondary nursing program. During the fall and spring, the Career and Technology Center sponsors a series of vocational and hobby classes, meeting one or two nights a week.