Education in Pennsylvania

There are numerous elementary, secondary, and higher institutions of learning in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which is home to 500 public school districts, thousands of private schools, many publicly funded colleges and universities, and over 100 private institutions of higher education.

[8] In 2004-2005, Pennsylvania elementary and secondary schools ranked 8th in revenue and 11th in spending out of 50 states and the federal district.

[9] In 2009 Pennsylvania spends $25 billion in public education when federal, state and local taxation dollars are combined.

The current secretary of education is Pedro A. Rivera, who was nominated by Governor Tom Wolf in January 2015, and confirmed by the state senate in June 2015.

[12] The state is divided into 29 intermediate units, which provide services to the 500 public school districts and 2,400 non-public institutions.

The Commonwealth System of Higher Education consists of four prominent universities, which are publicly supported but are operated and controlled independently.

These institutions are: The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education consists of 14 universities in which more than 112,500 students are enrolled.

The members include individuals selected by the governor of Pennsylvania, and four legislators chosen by the majority and minority leaders of the state senate and House of Representatives.

[18] The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is a financial aid organization which provides grants, administers loans, and affords other services to post-secondary students.

Reverend Heinrich Christian Helmuth arrived in 1779 and called for preaching only in German, while seeking government subsidies.

A major issue was the long-term fate of German culture in Pennsylvania, with most solutions focused on schools.

[22] The fourth-oldest institution of higher learning in America is the University of Pennsylvania, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1740.