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Lower Merion High School

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School Profile 2022-2023

LOWER MERION HIGH SCHOOL

Lower Merion School District
Nationally recognized for excellence in education
 

315 E. Montgomery Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003
Phone: (610) 645-1838 Fax: (610) 658-8720 CEEB/ACT Code: 390105

Administration

Megan Shafer

Acting Superintendent

Richard Marta

Supervisor of K-12 Counseling, Testing & Holistic Supports

Michael Johnson

Principal

Karen deFranco

Assistant Principal - Grade 9

Jon Fadely

Assistant Principal - Grade 12

Olufemi Fadeyibi

Assistant Principal - Grade 10

G. Scott Kilpatrick

Assistant Principal - Grade 11

Jason Stroup

Director - Athletics/Activities

Porsche Johnson

Registrar

Darlene Mandarino

Counseling Secretary

Counselors

Miriam Collins

School Counselor

Jared Epler

Career & College Access Counselor

Tasha Gesacion

School Counselor

Marsha Rosen

School Counselor, Department Chair

Eli Skinner

School Counselor

Caroline Stief

Heath and Wellness Counselor

Jennifer Vallieres

School Counselor

Eugene Werley

School Counselor

Lower Merion School District serves the 62,000 residents of Lower Merion Township and Narberth Borough, a diverse, suburban community located just west of Philadelphia. The ethnic/racial composition of the school district is: 65% White/Caucasian, 8% Black/African-American, 11% Asian Pacific Islander, 6% Hispanic, and 10% Multi-Racial.

General Information

  • Grades: 9-12
  • Enrollment: 1721
  • Graduating Class: 371
  • Type of School: Public
  • Full time Faculty: 149
  • Teacher to Student Ratio: 1:11
  • Length of Semester: 18 weeks
  • Class Periods: 55 minutes

While students are encouraged to grow academically, we counsel
students to balance their course load with all their obligations
outside and beyond the classroom.

Advanced Placement Courses

  • Art: 2D and 3D
  • Biology
  • Calculus: AB and BC
  • Chemistry
  • Computer Science A, Principles
  • Economics: Macro, Micro
  • English: Language and Composition; Literature and Composition
  • Environmental Science
  • French Language
  • Human Geography
  • Latin
  • Music Theory
  • Physics 1
  • Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism; Mechanics
  • Psychology
  • Spanish Language
  • Statistics
  • United States History
  • United States Government/Politics

Courses are designated on the student’s transcript with AP.

Calculation of Grade Point Average

Grade point average (GPA) is calculated at the end of each school year using only final grades in the five major academic areas: English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and World Languages. Honors, AP, and IB level courses are calculated on a weighted 5.0 scale and College Prep courses are calculated on a 4.0 scale. The GPA is reported on a weighted 5.0 scale.

Honors Courses

Art: Advanced Ceramics and Metal Arts 3/4/5, Advanced Film Photography 3/4/5, Art 1/2/3, Communication Design 3/4/5, 9th grade Art

English: 1/2/3; Creative Writing, Film and Literature, Heroes and Monsters: Classic British Lit, Journalism, Modern and Contemporary Literature, Reading and Writing Non-Fiction, Sports in Literature and Non-Fiction,Theater Arts: Drama Survey and Appreciation, Voices in African-American Literature and Non-Fiction

Mathematics: Advanced Topics in Linear Algebra and Discrete Mathematics, Computer Science 1/2, Computer Science Seminar, Integrated Math 1/2/3, Pre-calculus, Mathematics Seminar, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning , Cyber Security (H).

Music: Concert Band, Concert Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Music Major

Science: Foundations of Advanced Engineering & Design (H), Advanced Engineering & Design I , Architectural Design, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Aided Drafting and Design, Foundations of Engineering and Design (Beg/Adv), Genetics, Geology, Human Anatomy/Physiology, Innovation and Invention Robotics, Meteorology, Physics, Oceanography, Organic Chemistry

Social Studies: Black Excellence: The Politics, Economics, and Culture of an American People, Economics, Global Studies I , Global Studies II, Global Citizenship, Philosophy and Modern Culture, Psychology, U.S. Government, U.S. History

World Languages: French 1/2/3/4/5/6 (for Global Competence), Japanese 1/2, Latin 1/2/3/4/6, Spanish 1/2 (Spanish Speaker) Spanish 1/2/3/4/5/6 (for Global Competence)

All courses designated on the transcript by the word Honors or
the letter H are accelerated and enriched.

Class Rank

No class rank is recorded on a student’s transcript.

Any institution may request in writing from the School Counseling
Department the class rank of any student if class rank is required for
admission to that school or needed for any scholarship program. The
class rank reported is weighted and includes only major academic
subject courses completed in grades 9-11.

Grading System

  • A+ = 97-100
  • A = 93-96
  • A- = 90-92
  • B+ = 87-89
  • B = 83-86
  • B- = 80-82
  • C+ = 77-79
  • C = 73-76
  • C- = 70-72
  • D+ = 67-69
  • D = 63-66
  • D- = 60-62
  • F = <60
  • Floor = 50
  • I = Incomplete
  • M = Medical Excuse
  • WP = Withdrew Passing
  • WF = Withdrew Failing
  • P = Passing in Pass/Fail
  • F = Failing in Pass/Fail
  • AU = Audit (no credit)
  • NG = No Grade (no credit)

Minimum Graduation Requirements for Class of 2022

4.00 credits of English
(1 credit each year)

4.00 credits of Social Studies
(Global Studies I, Global Studies II, United States History, and United States Government)

3.00 credits of Mathematics

3.00 credits of Science

2.00 credits of Arts and Humanities

0.50 credit of Health

1.00 credit of Physical Education (all four years)

3.50 credits of Electives

A total of 21 credits are required, and completion of a Senior Project is mandatory

Advanced Placement Exams (2022)

Total Candidates: 475

Total Exams: 971

Grades of 5: 260

Grades of 4: 275

Grades of 3: 228

80% of all AP exam scores were 3, 4, or 5
Total exam score average of 3.5

National Merit, National Achievement Scholarship Program and National Hispanic Recognition Program (2022)

Finalists: 23

Semifinalists: 22

Commended: 32

On average more than 14% of each graduating class is recognized by the National Merit Program.

ACT Summary (2022)

Test Middle 50% Mean
English 25-34 29.5
Math 25-34 28.4
Reading 24-34 29.2
Science 25-34 28.7
STEM 25-33 28.2
Composite 25-33 28.8

SAT Summary (2022)

Testing Area Middle 50% Mean
Evidence Based Reading & Writing 600-730 656
Mathematics 560-750 649
Total 1160-1470 1305

Continuing Education

Approximately 94% of Lower Merion High School graduates continue a program of higher education. Approximately 88% of the class enroll in 4 year colleges, 6% in 2 year colleges. The 6% that do not attend higher education enroll in the military, participate in a gap year, attend a career school, or are employed full-time.

A Sampling of Colleges Attended by Lower Merion students (2022)

Amherst College, Arizona State University, Barnard College, Boston University, Carleton College, Colgate University, Community College of Philadelphia, Coppin State University, Cornell University, Culinary Institute of America, Dartmouth College, Davidson College, Duke University, Emory University, Franklin & Marshall College, Furman University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Goucher College, Howard University, Johns Hopkins University, Kenyon College, Lafayette College, Lincoln University, Marist College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Middlebury College, Montgomery County Community College, New York University, Northeastern University, Northwestern University, Oberlin College, Princeton University, Purdue University, Rice University, Rochester University of Technology, Skidmore College, Smith College, Spelman University, Stanford University, Stony Brook University, Swarthmore College, Syracuse University, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Tufts University, Tulane University, Universities of California (Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Santa Barbara, & Santa Cruz), Colorado (Boulder & Denver), Ursinus College, Vanderbilt University, Vassar College, Washington University in St. Louis, Wellesley College, West Chester University, West Virginia University, and Yale University.

Students from the Class of 2022 are also attending the following universities outside of the continental United States: The American University of Paris (France), McGill University (Canada), and Universidad de Puerto Rico.

Gwynedd Mercy University dual Enrollment

Juniors and Seniors have the opportunity to earn college credit through the dual enrollment program. College credit is offered in Introduction to Marketing Management (3 credits), and Introduction to Business Seminar (3 credits), Accounting (3 credits), Principles of Management (3 credits).

Recent Awards and Accomplishments

For the 12th consecutive year, LMSD earned a Best Communities for Music Education (BCME) designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education.

LMHS junior Mark Lancaster’s musical composition for two cellos, “Midnight Duo,” was selected as an “Outstanding Composition” in PMEA’s 2022 Composition Competition.

LMHS junior Sydney Yermish won the 3A state golf championship and created the “Birdies for the Fallen,” raising money with each birdie she hit for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

The LMHS boys’ tennis team took home the state title for the second straight year.

Fifteen football players from LMHS were awarded All Academic Honors by Eastern Pennsylvania Football.

The District’s four secondary schools collected a combined total of 135 top-ten placements, including 16 first-place and 54 top-three finishes, at the Pennsylvania Technology Student Association (TSA) State Conference. All four teams qualified to compete at the National TSA Conference.

LMHS’s “Amazing Ace” and Harriton’s “Dr. Harriton” competitions raised more than $60,000 for charities including the American Cancer Society, Philabundance, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Trevor Project, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Cradles to Crayons, Project Home, Wildlife Conservation Society, the Lower Merion Township Scholarship Fund and the Sean Hughes Memorial Trust.

ENTER TO LEARN, GO FORTH TO SERVE