District Profile & History
About Us
The River Valley School District is located approximately 45 miles east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The district encompasses 142 square miles in southern Indiana County and a portion of northern Westmoreland County making it the second-largest school district in Indiana County. The 2020 Census reported that the district has a population of 12,750 residents.
The District serves 1,500 students across seven municipalities including Black Lick Township, Blairsville, Burrell Township, Conemaugh Township, Loyalhanna Township, Saltsburg, and a portion of Young Township. The thirty-six acre campus in Burrell Township houses Blairsville Elementary School (K-5), River Valley Middle School (6-8), River Valley High School (9-12), and the District’s administrative offices. The Conemaugh Township campus is home to Saltsburg Elementary School (K-5), and the River Valley Academies at Saltsburg, which houses the River Valley Early Childhood Learning Academy, the River Valley Cyber Lab, and the River Valley STEAM Academy.
The River Valley School District is committed to being a high-performance organization focused on outstanding student performance, achievement, and preparation for a lifetime of success. In 2023, RVSD was recognized nationally by The School Superintendents Association (AASA) as a Lighthouse System. Lighthouse districts serve as a beacon and model for the redesign of the American education system.
Recently the River Valley School District was named one of the "Top 55 Performing School Districts in Pennsylvania" by Standard & Poor's. The River Valley School District was named as an Academic Outperformer as a result of two consecutive years of a significantly higher percentage of students scoring proficient or above on Pennsylvania's reading and math tests. Standard & Poor's developed the analysis used to identify outperforming school districts to highlight outstanding academic performance and to help educators in school districts with similar characteristics identify appropriate benchmarks to guide their own improvements.
River Valley is developing a systemwide foundation to prepare all students for a path to gainful employment. As with all successful education initiatives, the work in River Valley is advancing because of a visionary superintendent, aligned board leadership, and the engagement of teachers, school leaders, community partners, parents, and leaders from exemplary post-secondary institutions. Together they are building STEM spaces, pathways like the cybersecurity pathway, integrating innovative technologies like Beable Education, and focusing on teacher-led integration of career-related learning.
- Ed Hidalgo, Career Development Advisor
RVSD at a Glance
