Michele S. Hartzell

Welcome to the North East School District!

On behalf of the North East School District, I would like to welcome you to our school district.  The North East School District serves approximately 1,650 students in grades kindergarten through twelve in three buildings; one high school, one middle school, and an elementary center which houses the intermediate and primary programs.  Our district mascot is the “Grape-Picker”, which uniquely represents our community as one of the major industries.

Our school district is the hub of the community and continues to represent the long-standing traditions of academic, athletic, and liberal art success.  Our North East High School was named a National Blue-Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, our Intermediate Elementary School was voted a top one-hundred school in the State of Pennsylvania in 2020, and our school state assessment scores consistently continue to be among the top in our IU region.

We are proud of our long-standing traditions and “Picker Pride” that focuses on integrity, class, and character.  Our students endlessly compete on academic teams where they consistently medal in PJAS, Science Olympics, Robotics, What’s So Cool About Manufacturing, and Envirothon.  They participate in extra-curricular activities such as marching band, in which the marching band has successfully been the LMBA champions eight times in the past nine years.

Our performing arts program provides opportunities for our students to participate in musicals, plays, dance teams, and art shows.  Our athletic programs continue to demonstrate school pride through their sportsmanship, competitive spirit, and participation in PIAA, intramural, and recreational programs that serve students age four through eighteen.

The downtown area of North East is bustling with many locally owned and unique shops that thousands of people enjoy each year.  Our local parks add a special feeling of belonging and togetherness that add to the character and charm of the area.

We are proud of our partnerships with the North East Borough and North East Township which serve a population of about 11,000 residents in the heart of grape country.  Our community is classified as agricultural as most of the land is planted with grape vineyards or cherry orchards.  Many of the harvested grapes are used by Welch Foods, one of our local companies, as well as many businesses use the grapes in creating local and national consumer products. Despite our agricultural designation, the community supports several manufacturers including the Electric Materials Company, Ridg-U-Rak, Bay Valley Foods, and Better Baked Foods. 

The local police and fire departments provide countless hours to ensure that our students, families, and businesses are safe and secure. The local 4-NINE organization, “For Neighbors in North East”, further exemplifies this pride by their partnership with the North East School District in supporting many programs and families whenever it is needed.

We are proud of our students, staff, and community and look forward to being your partners in education.  Go “Pickers”!