Perry Traditional Academy

Perry Traditional Academy / Perry High School
3875 Perrysville Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15214 40°29′20″N 80°01′08″W / 40.48889°N 80.01889°W / 40.48889; -80.01889

United States
Information
TypePublic
Motto"Knowledge for Service"
Established1923
School district
Pittsburgh Public Schools
Principal
Dr. Robert E. Frioni
Staff66 total;
36 teachers,
2 administration,
5 student service/counselors,
5 security,
5 aides,
2 reading/math coaches,
11 other
Grades9–12
MascotCommodore
RepresentativeGene Walker, District 9
WebsitePerry Traditional Academy
TypeStructure
DesignatedNovember 30, 1999
Designated2001
DesignatedSeptember 30, 1986

Perry Traditional Academy, also known as Perry High School, is a high school in the Perry North neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Perry is one of ten secondary schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

History

The school was originally part of the Allegheny City schools and was called the North End School or 10th Ward School No. 4. It opened in 1892 and was enlarged after a violent storm damaged the building in 1899. It was later renamed 15th Ward School No. 1 after being split off from the 10th Ward and was brought into Pittsburgh Public Schools along with the other Allegheny City schools in 1911. In 1913, the district decided to rename all of the numbered schools and 15th Ward No. 1 became the Perry School.

The current main building opened in 1922. Originally remaining as an elementary school, it was converted to a junior high school in 1923, with high school grades added in 1924.

Feeder district

Perry Traditional Academy serves all of the following neighborhoods, which constitute the Northside of Pittsburgh: Allegheny Center, Allegheny West, Brighton Heights, California-Kirkbride, Central Northside, Chateau, East Allegheny, Fineview, Manchester, Marshall-Shadeland (Brightwood), North Shore (Lower Northside), Northview Heights, Perry Hilltop, Perry North (Observatory Hill), Perry South, Spring Hill-City View, Spring Garden, Summer Hill and Troy Hill.

Enrollment

As of October 1, 2021:

Group Number of students Percent
All 335 100%
White 46 13.7%
African American 260 77.6%
Asian <5 <1%
Hispanic <5 <1%
Multiracial 24 7.2%
Male 177 52.8%
Female 158 47.2%

Mascot

The school's mascot is the Commodore, named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. A mural depicting The Commodore faces the school on the old Rich Bedding Building. It was commissioned by business owner Bill Schmidt, painted by The MLK Project and designed by Perry Alumni Bill Gandy (85) and Kimberley Robinson-Gandy (86).[citation needed]

Academics

Perry consists of grades 9–12. The school comprises three schools (programs): STEAM, CTE, and Military Science/JROTC.[citation needed]

Standardized tests

As of 2019, Perry students performed below the state average in statewide tests.

Alma mater

Our Perry High Dear Alma Mater Thou
Keep Watchful Eye Atop The Summit's Brow
Thou Shalt To Us A Firm Foundation Be
Guide, Counsel'r, Friend Throughout Eternity
And As The Years Go Swiftly Gliding By
Still Thou Shalt to Be Our Own Dear Perry High
Chorus:
All Hail To Perry, We'll Honor And Praise Thee'
To Alma Mater We'll Ever Be True
All Hail To Perry, We'll Honor And Praise Thee'
We'll Love Forever The White And Blue

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "Perry Staff". Discover PPS. Pittsburgh Public Schools. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Local Historic Designations". Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  3. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  4. ↑ Martin Aurand (April 1986). National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania MPS Perry High School. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved December 8, 2025. (Downloading may be slow.)
  5. ↑ "School Building Dedicated". Pittsburg Dispatch. October 13, 1892. Retrieved October 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Educational". Pittsburg Press. January 14, 1894. Retrieved October 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Swept by a Storm". Pittsburg Press. May 17, 1899. Retrieved October 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Annual Report. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Board of Public Education. 1912. pp. 153–158. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Action Deferred on School Fund Shortage". Pittsburgh Gazette Times. February 19, 1913. Retrieved October 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Children Study Despite Knocks". Pittsburgh Post. September 18, 1922. Retrieved October 9, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Adams, John H. (October 4, 1925). "Principal Reviews Perry's History". Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved October 12, 2026.
  12. ↑ EJ. "Discover PPS". Pittsburgh Public Schools. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  13. ↑ "Perry Enrollment". Discover PPS. Pittsburgh Public Schools. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Perry Traditional Academy Test Scores". Great Schools. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Pittsburgh Perry High School". Pittsburgh Public Schools. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  16. ↑ Hostutler, Mark (2010). Heads of State: Pennsylvania's Greatest High School Basketball Players of the Modern Era. iUniverse. ISBN 9781450267052. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Ron Carter Player Profile". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  18. ↑ "About Richard Foster". roundhousewilton.com. May 31, 2017. Archived from the original on August 10, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017. Richard T. Foster was an architect who worked primarily in New York and Connecticut. He was born in 1919 in the Fineview section of Pittsburgh, Pa. and educated at Perry High School, Carnegie Institute of Technology and Pratt Institute.
  19. ↑ "Boo Jackson Player Profile, Dakota Wizards, NCAA Stats, G League Stats, International Stats, Game Logs, Bests, Awards - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved July 6, 2019.