Old Forge School District


The Old Forge School District is a diminutive, suburban, public school district serving the municipality of [Old Forge, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania|Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania|Old Forge, Pennsylvania], a suburb of Scranton in Lackawanna County. The district is one of the 500 public school districts of Pennsylvania. The district encompasses. According to 2000 federal census data, it served a resident population of 8,798. By 2010, the district's population declined to 8,310 people. The educational attainment levels for the Old Forge School District population were 89.4% high school graduates and 22.6% college graduates.
According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, 41.7% of the district's pupils lived at 185% or below the Federal Poverty level as shown by their eligibility for the federal free or reduced price school meal programs in 2012. In 2009, the Old Forge School District residents' per capita income was $19,228, while the median family income was just $46,152. In Lackawanna County, the median household income was $43,673. In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $49,501 and the United States median family income was $49,445, in 2010.
Old Forge School District has a cooperative agreement with Luzerne County Community College.
Old Forge School District operates two schools: Old Forge Elementary School and Old Forge Junior Senior High School.
The Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit IU19 provides the district with a wide variety of services like specialized education for disabled students and hearing, speech and visual disability services and professional development for staff and faculty. Old Forge High School students have access to Wilkes Area Career and Technology Center which is the neighboring region's vocational technical school.
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History

Since 1910, the town of Old Forge has had its own school district. Originally, there were several elementary schools throughout Old Forge serving each section of town, such as Central, Lawrenceville, Moosic Road, Sussex, Sibley, and Rendham. The high school was located on South Main Street, which housed grades 9–12. A separate building in the rear of the main high school served as another elementary school and a gymnasium. This structure was destroyed by fire in the late 1950s.
In 1956, it was decided that all schools should be consolidated into one large building. Many feel that it was the building of a new school that saved Old Forge from the growing trend of jointures that was taking place throughout the area in the 1960s and 1970s. Groundbreaking began on July 21, 1956, at the current site located on Marion Street. The new school opened for the 1960–1961 school year and is still in use to this day, receiving major renovations during the 1990s and 2020s. All the old schools have since been demolished.

Extracurriculars

Old Forge School District offers a variety of clubs, activities and sports.

Sports

The district funds:
;Varsity:
;Boys:
;Girls:
;Junior high school sports:
;Boys:
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Cross country
  • Football
  • Golf
  • Soccer
;Girls:
  • Basketball
  • Softball
According to PIAA directory July 2014
;History
The Old Forge Blue Devils of Old Forge High School have a long, rich history in the area of sports. During the 1950s and 1960s, Old Forge dominated the area in football and basketball, winning several league championships and conference titles. During the 1950s, Old Forge compiled the highest winning percentage for football in the entire state.
The school has been to the state championship game five times and has won twice. In 1932, Old Forge beat St. Vincent High from Erie 24-19 for the state basketball championship. At the time, schools were not divided by class, thus there was only one state champion in the entire state. Sixty years later in 1992, Old Forge won the Class "AA" state championship in baseball by beating Ridgway 15–5. In 2009, the girls softball team reached the state championship game, only to lose 1–0 to Curwensville. In the 2013–2014 school year, the Old Forge football team and the girls basketball team both reached the state finals, with the girls basketball team repeating a trip to the state finals in the 2014–2015 season.
Old Forge has had a long-standing rival with neighboring town Taylor that goes back to 1939 when Old Forge beat the Taylor Trojans 2–0 in the first meeting of the two teams on the football field. Thus began the "Old Forge-Taylor Football Rivalry". A tradition began in 1940 of the two teams meeting on Thanksgiving Day. This continued until 1974. The rivalry was on hiatus from 1988 until 2000, when the two teams met renewing the heated rivalry between the two neighboring towns.
Below is a partial list of the achievements made in basketball, football and baseball/softball.

Basketball

YearAwardAdditional awards, and notes
1924Suburban County League champions
1930District 2 - Class "A" championsAnthracite League champions/Eastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists
1932District 2 - Class "A" champions/Anthracite League championsPennsylvania State Champions
1941Lackawanna League champions
1948Lackawanna League champions
1949District 2 - Class "A" championsLackawanna League champions/Eastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists
1951Lackawanna League champions
1952Lynett Invitational Tournament champions
1952Lackawanna League champions
1953District 2 - Class "A" championsEastern Class "A" State Quarter-Finalists
1958District 2 - Class "A" championsLynett Invitational Tournament champions
1959District 2 - Class "A" championsPIAA Inter-District Champions/Eastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists
1985District 2 - Class "A" championsEastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists
1988District 2 - Class "A" champions Eastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists
1989District 2 - Class "A" champions Eastern Class "A" State Finalists
1992District 2 - Class "A" championsEastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists
1992District 2 - Class "A" champions Eastern Class "A" State Quarter-Finalists
2001District 2 - Class "A" championsEastern Class "A" State Finalists
2004Lackawanna League - Division 2 South champions
2005Lackawanna League - Division 2 South champions
2007District 2 Class "A" champions/Lackawanna League ChampionsEastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists/Season record 28-1
2008District 2 Class "A" championsEastern Class "A" State Quarter-Finalists
2008District 2 Class "A" champions Eastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists
2009District 2 Class "A" champions
2009District 2 Class "A" champions
2010District 2 Class "A" champions
2010District 2 Class "A" champions
2011District 2 Class "A" champions
2012District 2 Class "A" champions Eastern Class "A" State Semi-Finalists
2013District 2 Class "A" champions Lackawanna League Div. III/IV Champions - Season Record 25-1
2014District 2 Class "A" champions
2014District 2 Class "A" champions Eastern Class "A" Champions
2015District 2 Class "A" champions
2015District 2 Class "A" champions Eastern Class "A" Champions
2016District 2 Class "A" champions
2017District 2 Class "AA" champions
2018District 2 Class "AA" champions
2020District 2 Class "AA" champions
2021District 2 Class "AA" championsEastern Class "AA" State Finalists

Football

YearAwardAdditional awards, and notes
1912Anthracite Conference champions
1949Lackawanna Conference champions
1952Lackawanna Conference championsEastern Conference champions
1954Lackawanna Conference champions
1955Lackawanna Conference champions
1956Lackawanna Conference champions
1958Lackawanna Conference championsEastern Conference champions
1961Eastern Conference championsOld Forge 13 - Coal Township 6
1975PIAA Bowl championsBig 11 vs. Wyoming Valley Conference
1987Suburban Conference championsEastern Conference - Div. III North champions
1988Suburban Conference championsEastern Conference - Div. III North champions
1989Suburban Conference championsEastern Conference - Div. III champions
1993District 2 - Class "A" champions
1998Lackawanna Conference champions
1999Lackawanna Conference champions
2002Lackawanna Conference champions
2005Eastern Conference - Division I championsOld Forge 40 - Bishop O'Hara 28
2006District 2 - Class "A" championsLackawanna Division III champions
2009Lackawanna Division III ChampionsUndefeated regular season
2011District 2 - Class "A" championsOld Forge 47 - Riverside 6
2013District 2 - Class "A" championsPennsylvania Class "A" Eastern Champions
2014District 2 - Class "A" champions
2015District 2 - Class "A" champions
2017District 2 - Class "A" champions
2020District 2 - Class "A" champions
2021District 2 - Class "A" champions
2024Eastern Conference - Class "1A/2A" champions

Baseball/softball

YearAwardAdditional awards, and notes
1981Lackawanna League champions
1984Lackawanna League Southern Division champions
1989Lackawanna League Southern Division champions
1991Lackawanna League Southern Division champions District 2 Class "AA" champions
1991Lackawanna League champions
1992Lackawanna League Southern Division champions
1992District 2 Class "AA" champions Pennsylvania State Champions - Class "AA"
2000District 2 Class "A" Silver Medal
2006Lackawanna League Division IV champions
2007Lackawanna League Division IV champions
2007District 2 Class "A" champions
2008District 2 Class "A" champions
2008District 2 Class "A" champions
2009District 2 Class "A" champions State Class "A" Semi-Finalists
2009District 2 Class "A" champions State Class "A" Finalists
2010District 2 Class "A" champions
2010District 2 Class "A" champions
2011District 2 Class "A" champions Fifth straight division title
2011District 2 Class "A" champions Fourth straight division title
2013District 2 Class "A" champions
2013District 2 Class "A" champions
2014District 2 Class "A" champions
2017District 2 Class "AA" champions
2019District 2 Class "A" champions
2019District 2 Class "A" champions
2021District 2 Class "A" champions
2022District 2 Class "A" champions
2023District 2 Class "A" champions
2024District 2 Class "A" champions State Class "A" Semi-Finalists