Hazleton Area High School was created on September 2, 1992. The Hazleton Area School district consists of various high schools, such as Freeland, West Hazleton, and Hazleton. It first began when the school athletics combined to create one team, the Hazleton Area Cougars. Since 1992, The Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics school has opened, in 2013. Also, with innovative ways to improve education, the Career Center has evolved, with regular college prep courses available to take inside the Career Center, rather than walking to the High School as often. The combine has improved academic success, which was the main reason to do so. Historically, the combine was known across the state instantly. In the 1992–1993 basketball season, the Hazleton Area Cougars made a State tournament final run. This athletic success in Hazleton Area in the first year, as students from all the previous High Schools came together. 26 years later, the Boys' 2017–2018 basketball team reached the Final Four in the State Tournament. In 1999, the newly elected
Lou Barletta had a vision of Hazleton, advertising Hazleton on poster boards in
New York City and
Philadelphia, which increased the resident population. Due to the population change, ever since 2000, the class population has grown to approximately 700–900 students per grade. ==Schools==