Coatesville Area School District serves the only city in Chester County (the wealthiest county in Pennsylvania[2]) as well as the city's surrounding boroughs and townships. The district has long been the center of the Coatesville community and prides itself on being rich in diversity. Not only does Coatesville serve the most diverse school district in Chester County, but it also ranks the 3rd most diverse in Pennsylvania and 29th in the United States.[3]
History
The first school established and recorded in Coatesville was the Moses Coates School in 1789 which was run by Sallie Coats until 1814 when Joseph Ridgeway donated the land and building off the corner of Third & Harmony (now MLK Drive) to the newly established "Trustees of Coatesville School Association". They named the school The Valley School but was also known as the Little Red School House.[4]
In August 2013, district superintendent Richard Como and athletics director Jim Donato left their jobs following the discovery of racist text messages on their district-provided mobile phones.[5][6][7][8] Both were arrested in 2014 on charges of theft and state ethics violations.[9] Donato pleaded guilty in June 2016 with an agreement to pay restitution to the district for the $15,000 he admitted stealing. March 18, 2018, Chester County Common Pleas Judge Thomas G. Gavin sentenced Richard Wallace Como to a jail term in Chester County Prison of three to 23 months, followed by three years of probation, on the charges that he was found guilty of at trial in January – dealing in unlawful proceeds, theft by unlawful taking, theft by failure to make required disposition of funds and conflict of interest.[10]
Angelo Romaniello Jr. was appointed acting superintendent following Como's departure, following which Taschner was voted in by the board in a 7–2 vote for a five-year contract running July 1, 2017, through June 30, 2022.[11] Taschner resigned in August 2019.[citation needed]
Coatesville Area School District is ranked 7th in best school districts for athletes in Pennsylvania.[3] Coatesville Area Senior High School joined the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) in 1922. In 1950, the Ches-Mont League was formed. This league originally comprised eight schools in Chester County. Coatesville (National Division) is the only original member still part of the league today.
PIAA Championships
1936 Swim Team won the District One Swim Title
The 1937 Swim Team won the District One Swim Title
1941 The Boys' Basketball Team won the Championships
1941 Girls Tennis Team won District Champions.
1941 Boys Tennis Team won Section II Champions
The 1943 Swim Team won the District One Swim Title
2000-01 Boys Basketball
1993-94 Girls Basketball
Ches-Mont Champions
1950 Track and field won the Ches-Mont League Championships
1950 Cross country (boys) Ches-Mont Championship
Board of School Directors
Coatesville Area School District Regions
The nine members of the board are elected at-large and serve 4-year terms. They are elected by voters in Region I (Coatesville City & Valley Township), Region II (Caln & West Brandywine), and Region III (East Fallowfield, Sadsbury, Modena, South Coatesville & West Caln).
