Pittsburgh Public Schools Archives

News

September 16, 2026

Pittsburgh’s Recreation Centers to Extend Hours When Schools Are Closed or Have Early Dismissal

Mayor Corey O’Connor’s office announced this week that the city’s recreation centers will extend their hours on days when Pittsburgh Public Schools are closed or have early dismissal.

The extended hours are intended to bridge the gap in care coverage free of charge for families.

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The centers will open at 8 a.m. on full-day closures and 11:30 a.m. on early dismissal days. Registration, which is required, opened this week. Caregivers can register at the recreation center where their child or children will attend and they may select multiple eligible dates during the school year, including:

Early Dismissal Days

September 18
October 9
October 23
November 20
December 18
February 12
February 26
March 12

School Closure Days

September 21
October 12
October 16
November 3
December 28-31
January 19
January 20
March 10
March 22-26
May 18 (Election Day; some centers will not offer care on election days if they serve as polling locations)

Snacks will be provided in the afternoon on early dismissal days, while lunch and snacks will be provided on full days. Special programming and partner visits on these days will be posted on CitiParks’ social media accounts.

“It’s important that our local families have free options for where kids can go on their days off school to play, discover, and explore,” O’Connor said.

News

August 12, 2026

Pittsburgh Public Schools: Back to School

Pittsburgh Public Schools will hold a back-to-school event on Monday, August 17 that will include backpacks, food, and more.

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The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium, will include in-person and drive-through components.

The in-person event will take place at Acrisure Stadium’s FedEx Great Hall, located at 100 Art Rooney Avenue. Those interested in attending should register at www.pghschools.org/BTSevent.

The drive-through event will take place at Gold Lot 1A, located at 792 W. General Robinson Street. No registration is required.

The first 50 cars will receive a Giant Eagle gift card.

The event will include free stuffed backpacks, food, and books, while supplies last.

News

June 24, 2026

Pittsburgh Offering Free Meals for Children At Rec Centers, Other Locations Through August

Through mid-August, any child under the age of 18 can receive free breakfast, lunch, and snacks at eight rec centers and more than 40 partner locations in Pittsburgh.

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CitiParks is working with Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Turner’s, Monteverde’s, and the American Dairy Association to offer the program. The continuance of the program was announced last week in Highland Park, CBS News reported.

Children under age 18 – or those with intellectual disabilities up to age 21 – can receive a free meal at one of eight CitiParks rec centers. Numerous other locations providing the meals can be found on the city’s website. The programs wrap up for the summer at various times in August, with the latest closing down on August 14.

The eight rec center locations include:

Ammon Rec Center (2217 Bedford Avenue)
Brookline Rec Center (1400 Oakridge Street)
Jefferson Rec Center (605 Rednap Street)
Magee Rec Center (745 Greenfield Avenue)
Ormsby Rec Center (79 S. 22nd Street)
Paulson Rec Center (1201 Paulson Avenue)
Phillips Rec Center (201 Parkfield Street)
Warrington Rec Center (329 E. Warrington Avenue)

The city has also provided a printable summer food program.

News

April 2, 2026

Survey Asks Organizations About Programming During NFL Draft Week

A+ Schools and the Pittsburgh Learning Collaborative (PLC) are asking early childhood learning organizations to take part in a brief survey about programming being offered during the NFL Draft week in Pittsburgh this month.

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The NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh from April 22 to 24. ELRC Region 5 recently announced office closures as well as information about satellite offices and diaper and formula banks. The three-day event is expected to cause road closures, disrupt public transportation, and bring numerous visitors to the city, with as many as 700,000 people in attendance.

During the Draft, Pittsburgh Public Schools will transition to remote learning from April 22 to 24, which A+ Schools said could result in barriers for students and families’ ability to stay engaged in learning.

Both A+ Schools and the PLC are working to prevent disruptions in student participation by identifying and sharing available supports across the city. Organizations are asked to complete a survey – which takes about five to 10 minutes – to share programming or support that they are planning to offer during the three days of the Draft.

The survey must be completed by Friday, April 10. By completing the survey, information provided will help to:

Prevent missed instructional time and increased absenteeism
Connect students to safe spaces, WiFi, devices, and learning support
Ensure families have access to clear, centralized information about available resources
Strengthen coordination across organizations to support students and families

A+ Schools asks to share any information about resources during the event, even if plans are still being finalized. Organizations with multiple sites should fill out a separate form for each site, unless it’s going to be standard, where each location has the same registration process, cost, enrollment, or hours.

News

December 23, 2025

Report: Only 44% of Third Graders in PPS Schools Found to Be Proficient in Reading

Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) is renewing a literacy push after only 44% of third graders were found to be proficient in reading at the end of the 2024-25 school year.

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PPS blamed the falling reading scores on state exams on “inconsistent implementation,” and district leaders said they will focus on aligning practices with the science of reading – the body of research that emphasizes systemic phonics instruction.

Testing found that only 44% of third graders were proficient in reading at the end of the most recent school year, down from 46% the previous year.

During a recent presentation of the district’s Pennsylvania System of School Assessment results, PPS superintendent Wayne Walters said that teachers need more time for dedicated training on reading instruction.

Reading Scores

Reading scores have fallen for the past few years. Research shows that students who aren’t reading proficiently by the third grade are more likely to remain behind. Statewide, about 48.6% of third graders were considered proficient or advanced in reading.

Third-grade reading score proficiency by school ranged from 16% to 60%, while advanced reading scores ranged from 0% to 36%. At several PPS schools, as much as 46% of students read at basic or below basic levels.

Last year, PPS said it would place literacy coaches in district elementary schools, identifying and sharing best practices across locations, and differentiating instruction to address inequities. However, Walters said the district doesn’t have a coach for each school – therefore, some must split their time between schools.

PPS assistant superintendent Shawn McNeil said some principals weren’t giving sufficient time to classroom observations and teacher planning time was often stretched thin. Additionally, he said educators weren’t reviewing data often enough or in a structured way.

To ensure that district practices align with the science of reading, PPS plans in January to launch a training course that all K-3 teachers and principals must complete. It will also publish a science of reading playbook with tools that would support teachers and principals with practical guidance.

To learn more, read 90.5 WESA’s story.

News

April 22, 2025

Kindergarten Readiness Event Planned for Families in May

Trying Together, HI5!, and Pittsburgh Public Schools will host a kindergarten readiness event on Wednesday, May 14.

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The event will enable participants to learn about kindergarten readiness, transition, and enrollment. The event – which includes dinner and children’s activities – will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at CoLab 18 inside Nova Place, located at 100 South Commons in Pittsburgh.

Parking is available through Gate 4 in the garage beneath Nova Place. Parking tickets will be validated as part of attendance. Attendees who require disability or language accommodations or have food allergies should contact valerie@tryingtogether.org by May 1.

See flier or register.

News

Northside Kindergarten Readiness Event

Trying Together, HI5!, and Pittsburgh Public Schools will host a kindergarten readiness event on Wednesday, May 14.

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The event will enable participants to learn about kindergarten readiness, transition, and enrollment. The event – which will include dinner and children’s activities – will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at CoLab 18 inside Nova Place, located at 100 South Commons in Pittsburgh.

Registration is available through this flier.

News

March 4, 2025

Public Source: Tutoring Program Makes Reading Fun to Bridge Literacy Gap

An initiative of the Learning Disabilities Association of Pennsylvania (LDA) is incorporating everything from movement to sandboxes and balls to make reading fun and, in the process, bridge the literacy gap for low-income students, Public Source wrote in a recent report.

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The LDA’s reading intervention initiative is divided into two programs:

Early literacy tutoring, which offers group learning for children who need help reading between kindergarten and second grade
One-on-one reading intervention for students of any age

State and city statistics show that the LDA initiative is needed. Pennsylvania fourth graders who were kindergarteners at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic scored lower in reading than fourth graders in 2019, Public Source reported. And third-grade reading proficiency is at 46.2% – which is 1.6% lower than last year – in Pittsburgh Public Schools’ largest school district.

A Multi-sensory Approach

LDA’s reading programs use a multi-sensory approach that incorporates visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses to aid reading, Public Source reported.

Students in Taylor Erickson’s class at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Hill District branch take part in “sky-writing.” They are encouraged to stand up, wiggle their bodies, and use their arms like pencils to trace letters.

For more information on the LDA initiative, which provides free tutoring for both reading programs, read Public Source’s story.

News

December 10, 2024

A+ Schools Releases Annual Report to the Community on Public School Progress

A+ Schools Pittsburgh has released its 2024 Report to the Community on Public Schools Progress. The report tackles issues that prevent every child from being successful in schools and covers such topics as racial economic segregation, absenteeism, unequal access to resources, and more.

Skills for Success

A+ Schools notes that children need knowledge and skills that will help them succeed in college or careers. It lists several conditions that must be met for this to occur:

Every community has a place where children can get to school safely and on time.
Every family has what they need – from healthcare and child care to housing and work – so children can come to school ready to learn.
Every school is a place where all students and staff feel they belong and are excited to be.

Executive Summary

In its executive summary, A+ Schools cites racial economic segregation, unequal access to resources, and disparate opportunities for enrichment and academic success as issues that prevent children from succeeding.

Additionally, system issues that impact state and local measures of school success include:

Chronic absenteeism (how many students miss more than 10% of school days)
Suspensions (how many students miss school due to disciplinary practices)
Academic growth (how many schools grew student achievement as measured by the Pennsylvania Value-Added Assessment System)
Academic proficiency (or, how many students meet state and national grade level standards on tests)

Next Steps

The report also examines student readiness for college or careers once they graduate. The measures it lists that provide a sense of whether students will be ready for the next step include:

College-ready GPA (how many students have a GPA of 2.8 or higher)
AP exam taking and AP and SAT scores
Graduation (how many students complete high within four years)
College and trade school completion (how many students complete one of these schools within six years of graduation from high school)

Figures

The report’s executive summary breaks down the numbers on some of the aforementioned issues.

Some of the key findings in the report relating to system issues, measures for success or readiness include:

Approximately 2,402 Pittsburgh public school students have been suspended at least once.
The ratio of students to teachers is 11:1
A total of 80% of teachers believe that their school is a good place to work and learn.
Only 14% of public school teachers are teachers of color.
About 32% of students are chronically absent.
In 2023, 86% of students had graduated within four years.
About 27% of 2018 graduates completed a college or trade school program within six years of graduating.

The entire report is available on A+ Schools Pittsburgh’s website.

News

June 6, 2023

Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) Hiring Event

Are you passionate about supporting the needs of children? Would you like a job with a good starting salary, excellent health and dental benefits, and a retirement plan that can stabilize your future? If so, join Pittsburgh Public schools for this hiring event!

Event Details

Thursday, June 22 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Board of Education Building, 341 S. Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213

*Please sign up for a 40-minute slot. When you sign up, you will receive a confirmation email with details about the location of the event, parking, and what to bring with you.

If you would like to sign up for multiple interviews, you may sign up for a maximum of two slots. However, select your times carefully so that you do not select overlapping time slots.

Additional Information

For which types of roles is PPS hiring?

PPS is hiring the following:

Nurses
Secretarial/Clerical Employees
Security Aides and Police Officers
Food Service Workers
Custodial Staff

What should I expect on the day of the event?

When you arrive on the day of the event, you will check-in with PPS staff, have an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about Pittsburgh Public Schools benefits, and participate in a 15 minute interview. PPS asks that you arrive 5 minutes before your scheduled time so that they can move all candidates through the interview process smoothly. Please plan to spend up to 60 minutes at the event.

If weather permits, the interviews will be conducted outdoors, and there are a few short staircases to navigate to the interview areas. If you would like to request reasonable accommodations for your interview, please include that information in your sign up.

Learn More

To learn more, visit the PPS Hiring Event webpage.

Please direct all questions to staffing@pghschools.org.