Adapted examinations are given to children in the special education programs. In 2012, the "Pittsburgh Business Times" also reported an Overachievers Ranking for 498 Pennsylvania school districts. Altoona Area School District ranked 12. In 2011, the district was 9th. The editor describes the ranking as: "a ranking answers the question - which school districts do better than expectations based upon economics? This rank takes the Honor Roll rank and adds the percentage of students in the district eligible for free and reduced-price lunch into the formula. A district finishing high on this rank is smashing expectations, and any district above the median point is exceeding expectations." In 2009, the academic achievement of the students of the Altoona Area School District was in the 35th percentile of Pennsylvania's 500 school districts. Scale (0-99; 100 is state best)   In 2010 and 2011 Altoona area School District achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). In 2011, 94 percent of the 500 Pennsylvania public school districts achieved the No Child Left Behind Act progress level of 72% of students reading on grade level and 67% of students demonstrating on grade level math. In 2011, 46.9 percent of Pennsylvania school districts achieved Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) based on student performance. An additional 37.8 percent of school districts made AYP based on a calculated method called safe harbor, 8.2 percent on the growth model and 0.8 percent on a two-year average performance. In 2011, the Altoona Area School District's graduation rate was 86.75%. In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4-year cohort graduation rate. Altoona Area School District's rate was 80% for 2010. According to traditional graduation rate calculations:  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010, the school reported an enrollment of 1,789 pupils in grades 10th through 12th, with 787 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced-price lunch. The school employed 117 teachers, yielding a student–teacher ratio of 15:1. According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of its teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind. In 2011, Altoona High School declined to School Improvement I level due to lagging student achievement. In 2010 the high school achieved Making Progress: in School Improvement I status. In 2009, the school was in School Improvement I status due to chronically low student achievement. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the school administration was required to notify parents of the school's poor achievement outcomes and to offer the parent the opportunity to transfer to a successful school within the District.