News & Announcements

Bethel Park School District's Music Department composed an original song, "Come Together As One," to commemorate the 2026 opening of Bethel Park Elementary School, celebrating community pride, honoring the history of 10 former elementary schools and incorporating a nod to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy." The song made its live debut at the fourth-grade chorus concert on March 26, 2026, performed by all district fourth graders on the high school stage for the 17th consecutive year. Beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, all elementary students will learn and perform the song as a symbol of unity, with rising fifth graders taking a leadership role in guiding younger students at school events.

Bethel Park School District is hosting a series of free "Final Bell Alumni Celebrations" in late May and early June for five retiring elementary schools and Neil Armstrong Middle School, before a new consolidated Bethel Park Elementary School opens in September 2026.

The events run from May 27 through June 3, with each school offering its own sendoff — ranging from open houses and self-guided tours to block parties with food trucks, memorabilia displays, and historical photos. All events are open to current and former students, staff, and community members, though classroom access will be limited district-wide as staff and students prepare for the transition.

The Bethel Park School District and the Bethel Park Federation of Teachers have ratified a new five-year collective bargaining agreement covering July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2031, that includes average annual salary increases of 3% and expanded professional development benefits.

The agreement was shaped by a collaborative negotiation process and includes new provisions supporting the opening of Bethel Park Elementary School, updated instructional language, and clarified expectations regarding scheduling and curriculum development. Both the school board and the teachers' federation have expressed confidence in the agreement as a foundation for long-term stability and student success during a period of significant transition for the district.

Tonight's two separate school board meetings will proceed as scheduled. The district will use a mobile hotspot to provide BoardDocs access for board members and a Zoom link for public attendees. The YouTube livestream may be delayed pending restoration of connectivity.

Bethel Park High School's Class of 2026 will return to their elementary schools for Senior Clap-Out events on June 1-2, where graduating seniors, in caps and gowns, will walk the halls one final time as current students and staff celebrate their achievements.

The tradition creates meaningful moments for seniors revisiting where their journey began, current students seeing role models, and former teachers reconnecting with students they once taught. Events are scheduled at all five elementary schools before they close permanently, ahead of the opening of the new Bethel Park Elementary School in September, with parents and guardians welcome to attend.

Bethel Park School District ranked in the Top 20 among 105 regional districts and in the Top 10 among districts with at least 4,000 students in the Pittsburgh Business Times' 2026 Guide to Southwestern Pennsylvania Schools, based on three years of PSSA and Keystone test scores. Fox Chapel Area School District topped the regional rankings for the third consecutive year, with none of the top 20 districts located in the Pittsburgh area's North Hills and South Hills.

Bethel Park author Craig Jones recently visited fourth graders at George Washington Elementary School, offering an encouraging message about change as students prepare to transition to the district's new elementary center next school year.

Students from Benjamin Franklin and George Washington elementary schools met in person May 14 for the first time, capping a year-long pen pal program that paired first graders from both schools to develop writing skills and build connections with peers. The meeting served as both a culmination of their correspondence and a preview of the future — this fall, the students will reunite as classmates at the newly opening Bethel Park Elementary School, where they will be joined by students from Abraham Lincoln, William Penn and Memorial elementary schools.

Due to a nationwide BoardDocs outage, the school board meeting agenda for the April 28, 2026, meeting is temporarily available only as an abbreviated PDF. It will be posted to BoardDocs once the issue is resolved.

Bethel Park School District has again been named one of the NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education, recognizing its sustained commitment to providing high-quality music access and instruction for all students. The honor places the district among about 1,000 school systems nationwide and reflects strengths in funding, programming, participation, and performance opportunities across all grade levels.