Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce

Many educational offerings await you and your children when you choose to settle in Greater Hazleton. From pre-school to post-grad, you’re faced with a wealth of educational opportunities.

Greater Hazleton gets top grades for its excellent educational system. Our exceptional public and private educational system has something for everyone – from the excited pre-schooler to the well-prepared post-graduate.

Dozens of pre-schools dot the learning landscape. You’ll find a qualified staff and center just minutes from where you settle. When your little ones are ready to enroll in grades K-12, you’ll find being in one of the largest school districts in Pennsylvania has its perks. The Hazleton Area School District provides cutting–edge curriculum and state-of-the-art athletic facilities. When it comes time to graduate, your son or daughter doesn’t have to go far. Greater Hazleton is home to some of the finest, most diverse and affordable colleges and universities.

For students entering the realm of public education, Greater Hazleton offers opportunities that are in a class by themselves.

The mission of the Hazleton Area School District is to educate all students to become self-directed, lifelong learners and responsible, contributing members of society. Educators strive to enhance student learning by focusing on all aspects of the school environment and on the intellectual, social, emotional and physical development of students.

The vision of the Hazleton Area High School District is one of providing students with skills and knowledge they need to meet the challenges of life in a new century, a century that promises to bring change in all aspects of their lives.

The far-reaching district works toward achieving its mission and vision by providing quality education at its six campuses set up for elementary and middle school instruction. A pair of other buildings is designated as elementary only. Then there’s the newly created ninth-grade center, the modern central high school and the bustling career center that’s walking distance away.

As one of the largest school districts in Pennsylvania, the HASD can offer remarkably varied courses and a broad range of extracurricular activities.

Thanks to phone and online resources, parents enjoy a direct link to teachers, homework assignments and extracurricular activities. Wherever you choose to relocate, your schools will be close to home.

Whether they fill their plate with academic college preparatory, business, advanced technology preparatory, or occupational preparation curricula, our students can hand-pick the courses they feel will benefit their future livelihood. The ever-evolving Hazleton Area Career Center allows students to get a great jump on their area of interest. As thousands of well-entrenched business owners can attest, the Hazleton Area Career Center works closely with the local community to remain at the forefront of preparing students to enter today’s workforce.

Through its ongoing mission to add and improve educational and athletic facilities, the Hazleton Area school board has transformed its 80-year-old football stadium into a top-notch complex complete with state-of-the art turf, lighting and public address systems.

Other notable upgrades include the construction of a modern track and field facility near the high school complex and far-reaching renovations that have transformed the former Hazleton High School into an elementary school that combines modern facilities with a classic façade.

There are always plans on the drawing board to improve or expand existing facilities to meet the needs of a prospering community. Pennsylvania schools are well equipped with the resources necessary to encourage learning. The Commonwealth allocates significantly more money per pupil than the nation does on average. And that’s great news for the 10,500 students who get their education from the Hazleton Area School District.

Local students have the opportunity to earn college credits while still enrolled in high school. The Hazleton campuses of both the Pennsylvania State University and Luzerne County Community College offer this visionary dual enrollment program that allows students to earn high school and college credits at the same time.

Students receive a great deal of encouragement and guidance throughout their years in high school. As early as their freshman year, students at Hazleton Area High School and Hazleton Area Career Center begin to shape their own future through a program called “Informed Course Selection.” The self-determined experience has many benefits. Most notably, students are challenged in areas where they themselves feel pulled. Class work leads to proficiency in critical thinking, planning and technical skill, as well as academic knowledge.

Prefer the values and traditions of a religious education? Our parochial school system nicely fills your order.

Students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade congregate at the newly refurbished Holy Family Academy, just east of Hazleton Area High School. The centralized location is perfect for stress-free busing.

Whether your high school-age students choose to attend Holy Redeemer a few miles north of Greater Hazleton in Wilkes-Barre or Marian Catholic a like distance to the south in Hometown, they’ll receive the traditions and teachings long associated with a parochial education.

Granted authority through local dioceses, area parochial schools continue to stress traditional education with a distinct religious component.

Traditional is also important for faculty and administrators at Immanuel Christian School. For more than a quarter century, students have been taught their ABCs and life lessons from a thoroughly Biblical perspective. Immanuel Christian School is not bound by a particular Christian denomination. The school’s doors are open to all students, from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Perched atop Pennsylvania’s highest borough, MMI Preparatory School is in lofty company. Thanks in part to SAT scores that average several hundred points higher than those at other regional schools, the Freeland institution of higher learning is hailed as one of the finest private prep schools in the Northeast. If you want attention for your student, you want MMI, where the student-to-teacher ratio is a sterling 10:1!

A top-notch curriculum, combined with excellent opportunities for team and solo competitions, gives students in grades six through 12 a good shot at acceptance into some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities. Many MMI students receive lucrative scholarships and grants.

MMI, which was founded in 1879, is an independent, non-sectarian co-educational day school. Students are immersed in core subjects that prepare them for more advanced studies like engineering, medicine and business.

Should you choose to further your schooling, you don’t have to pack your bags and wave goodbye to Greater Hazleton. We’re home to some of the best college education America has to offer. Diverse opportunities abound for all types of college degrees and professional certificates.

At Penn State Hazleton it’s possible to get a Big Ten education without a big school cost. The local campus of the world-renowned Pennsylvania State University is nestled on a scenic hillside setting just off Interstate 81 and only a few short miles from downtown Hazleton.

Penn State Hazleton offers a variety of two-year degrees. Many students opt to compile their first two years of credits locally then head to historic State College, two hours to the west, to complete their baccalaureate program. But it is possible to stay at home and earn a bachelor’s degree in business administration or information sciences and technology.

Penn State Hazleton provides a small-school feel and one-on-one contact with respected staff – something that serious students can appreciate. Attending a branch campus is an invaluable way to keep costs under control.

Even our smaller regional schools have smaller branch campuses in Greater Hazleton. At its Hazleton Center in the heart of the city, Luzerne County Community College has set up a state-of-the-art facility that includes two computer labs. Without having to drive long distances, locals can earn associate degrees, diplomas and certificates in a wide range of career fields. From its Hazleton facility, LCCC also offers non-credit courses, workforce development and contract training to employers throughout the region, something that ensures a well-trained workforce to handle the area’s economic growth.

Lackawanna College has a newly opened office in downtown Hazleton. The college offers a variety of classes and the Act 120 police officer training program. To meet today’s variety of scheduling needs, the school offers courses during the day or evening, on weekends or over lunch hours.

McCann School of Business & Technology, with a convenient location in the Humboldt Industrial Park in Hazle Township, offers diplomas and degrees in many programs, including accounting, early childhood education, massage therapy and paralegal.

Other educational opportunities are available a short drive away at great schools like Bloomsburg University, College Misericordia, King's College, Marywood University, University of Scranton and Wilkes University.

In the market for a trade or technical school? Greater Hazleton is home to Pennsylvania College of Technology, an affiliate of Penn State University. PCT offers bachelor and associate degrees in 80 fields. Other great regional choices include Allied Medical and Technical School, Johnson College, ITT Technical Institute, McCann School of Business and Lincoln Tech.

Partners in Education and the YES program both encourage educators and the business community to work together training tomorrow’s workforce.  YES – Your Employability Skills – is a certificate program that helps its students develop necessary skills that employers require. With training in areas such as writing skills, résumé writing and problem solving, it puts students on the path to a successful future. .

Partners in Education (PIE) brings business and education leaders together in an innovative program designed to make sure all students leave school with the academic, technical, and employability skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century workplace.

Through PIE, educators and business leaders visit each other's workplace to develop ways to integrate real-life skills into the school curriculum. The group also educates students, administrators, and teachers as to what kinds of jobs are available in Greater Hazleton. It isn't unusual to see a human resources manager or even a CEO talking to students and educators about everything from how to write a résumé, to what a specific company is looking for in an employee.

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Pre-Apprenticeship Initiative is another program to help students succeed in the workforce in occupations such as carpenters, electricians and plumbers. Pre-apprenticeships allow students to get ready for a career in construction and to take free classes at Luzerne County Community College. Apprentice students start after high school, work and go to school to become certified in a trade. They also earn money while they’re learning.

Our educational opportunities are why living in Greater Hazleton is one of the smartest decisions you can make.