Upper St. Clair High School has 16 sets of twins in senior class

The class of 2026 at Upper St. Clair High School has 16 sets of twins.

The class has 16 sets of twins in its 299-person senior class, according to the school district. In this week's On a Positive Note, Chilekasi Adele introduces you to some of the twins. 

Meet the twins

Carson Rackley and his brother Cooper Rackley will graduate this spring. Cooper Rackley is headed to Canisius College in western New York, where he will play lacrosse, while Carson is currently undecided on what will come next.

Both have enjoyed the ability to tackle high school together.

"It's kind of like a built-in best friend," Carson Rackley said.

Ellie Simons and Lily Simons are also among the 32 seniors who are twins. The Simons knew growing up in the district that they were not alone, but did not know the total number of twins is this big.

"I kind of always knew, like in elementary school, that there was always like a few of us," Ellie Simons said. 

Ellie Simons is set to play volleyball at Williams College in Massachusetts, where she will also study biology and psychology. Lily Simons said she is currently undecided.

Brooke Tarcson, head of student activities at Upper St. Clair High School, was the one who noticed how many twins were in the senior class.   

"I was like, oh my gosh, we have to do something," she said. 

Tarcson said a math teacher told her that the probability of having 16 sets of twins in a 299-person senior class is about 0.5%. It's something the school district has sought to document with pictures and special events this school year. Tarcson and the twins said it's helped them get to know each other better.

"They look at each other in the hall and are like, 'Hey, I know you,'" Tarcson said. "'You're like me.'"

For some of the twins, graduating from high school will not be the easiest because it will be the first prolonged split in nearly two decades. Regardless, their story is one they can share for decades.

"It'll be something to tell my kids later on," Cooper Rackley said.