Massachusetts public high school

Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School

Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public school district

C+

overall grade

Ranks #186 of 335 Massachusetts high schools.

Overall rank

#186

of 335 schools

Average SAT

1082

MA average 1091

Graduation rate

90%

MA average 92%

Plan on college

79%

MA average 72%

SAT is the average total score of test takers. Graduation is the four-year rate. College is the share of graduates who report plans to attend a 2- or 4-year college.

**Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School** is located in South Hadley, a town of about 18,000 in the Pioneer Valley region of western Massachusetts. The town sits along the Connecticut River between Northampton and Holyoke and is home to Mount Holyoke College, one of the nation's oldest women's colleges. As a regional charter school, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts draws students from communities throughout Hampshire and Hampden counties who are interested in combining academics with intensive training in dance, music, theater, and visual arts.

How it compares

What stands out

Strongest area: ELA MCAS, in the top 47% statewide. 47% of 10th graders met or exceeded expectations in 2026, vs 45% statewide.
Area to watch: Graduation rate ranks in the bottom 32% statewide.
Trend: The share of graduates planning on college has risen from 70% in 2022 to 78.5% in 2025.
Trend: Chronic absence has fallen from 41.8% in 2022 to 35% in 2025.

Where it stands among 335 Massachusetts high schools

Bottom of MATop of MA

Overall

Averagebottom 45% · #186

SAT

Averagebottom 38% · #210

ELA MCAS

Averagetop 47% · #152

Math MCAS

Averagebottom 47% · #175

Graduation

Below averagebottom 32% · #229

College plans

Averagebottom 50% · #167

The overall rank weighs SAT (30%), MCAS (25%), AP results (20%), and graduates' college plans (25%). Categories rank only the schools with data for them. How we rank

SAT

Average total score1082in 2025 · MA avg 1091

About the same as the MA avg

By section (out of 800)

Reading & writingBetter than average

This school

577

MA avg

556

MathWorse than average

This school

505

MA avg

535

47 students took the SAT.

"MA avg" is the average of the 335 high schools we rank. Only students who choose to take the SAT are counted.

MCAS (10th grade)

Share of 10th graders meeting or exceeding expectations. Statewide results dropped after 2024, when passing the MCAS stopped being a graduation requirement. There was no test in 2020.

English Language Arts47%in 2026 · state 45%

2 points above the state

Math39%in 2026 · state 44%

5 points below the state

Biologyhigh school science, 2026About average

This school

37%

State

38%

Detailed scores

Average scaled score, ELA · Math · Science (500+ = meeting expectations)503 · 490 · 491

Achievement percentile vs. MA schools (ELA · Math)71st · 35th

Student growth percentile, ELA · Math (50 = typical growth)53 · 49

AP & advanced courses

Completed an advanced coursegrades 11–12Worse than average

This school

61.9%

MA avg

71.4%

9th graders passing all coursesAbout average

This school

85.2%

MA avg

82.6%

After high school

Four-year graduation rate90%in 2024 · MA avg 92%

About the same as the MA avg

Dropped outof the four-year classAbout average

This school

4.8%

MA avg

4.3%

Plan to attend college79%in 2025 · state 72%

6 points above the state

Graduates' plans · 65 graduates

4-year private college

30.8%

4-year public college

29.2%

2-year public college

18.5%

Work

12.3%

Other / unknown

7.7%

Students

Who attends

White

56.2%

Hispanic/Latino

27.2%

Black/African American

8.1%

Multi-Race

7.1%

Asian

1.3%

American Indian/Alaska Native

0.3%

68.3% female · 30.5% male · 1.3% nonbinary

Student needs

High needslow income, English learner, or disabilityAbout average

This school

48.1%

MA avg

50.7%

Low incomeAbout average

This school

35.2%

MA avg

39%

English learnersLower than average

This school

0.3%

MA avg

8.6%

Teachers

Licensed teachersWorse than average

This school

77.7%

MA avg

95.9%

Experienced teachersWorse than average

This school

49.2%

MA avg

73.4%

Teaching in their fieldWorse than average

This school

53.2%

MA avg

84.6%

Students per teacher

9.3MA avg 11.8

42.7 full-time-equivalent teachers

Attendance & safety

Attendance rateWorse than average

This school

90.1%

MA avg

92.3%

Chronically absentmissed 10%+ of daysWorse than average

This school

35%

MA avg

22.3%

16.3 days absent per student (MA avg 13.2) · Suspensions: 3.1% out-of-school, 0.2% in-school (MA high school avg 4% / 2.2%)

About South Hadley

Hampshire County · Western Massachusetts

Avg single-family home value$417KMA median $588K

Avg property tax bill$5,639MA median $6,814

Tax rate$13.50 per $1,000MA median $12.40

Income per person$37,682MA median $47,872

Local kids in public school93.3%

Free cash reserves9.6% of budget

Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public (District) district profile · What could you afford here? · All towns A–Z

Town figures are FY2026 averages for single-family homes from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Assessed values usually run below recent sale prices. "MA median" is the median of the state's 351 towns.

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