The Allegheny County Treasurer’s office recently published 2025-2026 millage rates for the 42 school districts that operate on a June-July fiscal year (Pittsburgh Public Schools was omitted as it operates on a calendar basis).
Looking at the report, 28 of the 42 school districts opted to increase taxes, with increases ranging from a high of 1.8837 mills for Sto-Rox to a low of 0.315 mills for Allegheny Valley.
School district property tax increases are limited by Act 1 of 2006, which provides an index stipulating the maximum increase without requiring voter approval or permission from the state Department of Education. The latter tends to be more common.
Sixteen school districts increased taxes below their respective index, while 11 increased taxes equal to their respective index. One district – Mt. Lebanon – was granted permission to increase its millage above its index, citing increases in special education costs, one of four allowable exceptions. Mt. Lebanon’s index was 4.70 percent but was granted a 5.63 percent increase, raising its property tax rate from 29.3005 mills to 30.95 mills.
Much attention was given to the county’s year-over-year decline in taxable assessed value – which was largely concentrated in downtown Pittsburgh – as a contributing factor in the decision to raise property taxes. Using the county’s parcel counts and values reports, we can examine how each district’s taxable assessed value fared from June 2024 to June 2025.
The taxable assessed value for the 42 school districts as of June 2024 totaled $64.36 billion. In June 2025, that total fell by $111 million to $64.25 million.
Twenty districts saw a year-over-year increase in taxable assessed value, while the remaining 22 saw a decrease in taxable assessed value. North Allegheny saw the greatest increase of nearly $37 million to $6.29 billion total and did not increase property taxes. On the other hand, Gateway saw a drop of nearly $43.76 million to $2.16 billion total and increased property taxes equal to its index (5 percent, or 1.2034 mills, to 25.2718 mills).
Interestingly, Mt. Lebanon saw the second-highest increase in taxable assessed value ($26.55 million to $2.62 billion total) but was the only district to raise taxes beyond its index. Of the remaining 27 districts which raised taxes, only 13 saw a decrease in taxable assessed value. Of the 14 districts which did not increase taxes, only five saw an increase in taxable assessed value.
Similar to Allegheny County, school districts continue to face financial challenges as a result of expiring federal pandemic aid, rising costs and uncertainty over property tax revenue. A reassessment would go a long way in providing stability to taxing bodies and more equitably distributing the property tax burden, especially for taxpayers whose districts raised taxes this year and those considering doing so in the coming years.
