State College Area High School ranks among the top high schools in the country, according to U.S. News' annual list of best high schools in the nation. State High ranks 32nd in the state and number 1,046 nationally, and is the only district ranked in Centre County.  

State High Wins Music Awards
State High music ensembles performed for some of the most esteemed judges from the US and Canada at the end of April in Ontario. They competed first against a list of international standards for excellence in the Performing Arts, as well as against music ensembles from Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Maryland. They received six gold medals, at least eight trophies, and individual solo awards that included invitations to perform in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall.

Wind Turbine Installed at Mount Nittany Middle School
A wind turbine has been erected at Mount Nittany Middle School. Developed through a collaborative effort with the Director of the Pennsylvania Wind for Schools program, Dr. Susan W. Stewart, representing Penn State's Aerospace and Architectural Engineering, the project was approved as an educational tool for the district's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiative in 2011. Students and staff are excited that it is up and running. The turbine's output will be included in the building energy dashboard for Mount Nittany Elementary School allowing students, parents, teachers and community members to track building energy usage. This turbine further supports the district's commitment to sustainable energy.

Thanks to the hard work of the Park Forest Middle School STEM team, this project idea became a reality and was made possible in part due to many funding sources, including a $5,000 grant from Lowes Educational Toolbox, a $5,000 grant from Citizen Power, a $5,000 grant from West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, $1,000 from the Superintendent's Fund for Instruction Innovation, and district contributions.