Best Public Schools in Catawissa, PA

Summary:

The city of Catawissa, Pennsylvania is home to three schools that serve students from elementary through high school: Hartman Elementary Center, Southern Columbia Middle School, and Southern Columbia High School. These schools are part of the Southern Columbia Area School District and have shown a range of academic performance and student demographics.

Hartman Elementary Center stands out as a top-performing school, consistently achieving high proficiency rates on PSSA tests, particularly in Science. The school has been ranked in the top 25% of Pennsylvania elementary schools in recent years and has a relatively low free/reduced lunch rate of 12.72%, indicating a more affluent student population. In contrast, Southern Columbia Middle School has exceptional performance, ranking in the top 10% of Pennsylvania middle schools and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger, with impressive proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Science.

The district-level spending of $15,695 per student is consistent across all three schools, but the student-teacher ratios and free/reduced lunch rates vary, suggesting potential differences in the needs and challenges faced by each school. While Hartman Elementary Center has a low free/reduced lunch rate, Southern Columbia Middle School has a higher rate of 23.69%, indicating a more diverse socioeconomic makeup among the student populations.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2024)	Keystone Exams Biology (2024)	Keystone Exams Literature (2024)	PSSA Math (2024)							PSSA Science (2024)			PSSA English Language Arts (2024)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 3rd Grade	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA Science 4th Grade	PSSA Science 8th Grade	PSSA Science All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southern Columbia Middle School	Public	5-8	810 Southern Drive	Catawissa	17820	Columbia County	Southern Columbia Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 356-3400	401	26	15.4	23.7%	376 (93.8%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (3.0%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	86.9	85^th of 891 public middle schools	90.5%		74	210^th of 893 public middle schools	76.5%	125						56.5	60.7	59.4	31.3	52.4		73.5	73.5			73.6	76.2	76.5	69.5	74.1	$15,695	$1,118	$14,577
Southern Columbia High School	Public	9-12	812 Southern Drive	Catawissa	17820	Columbia County	Southern Columbia Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 356-3450	378	27	13.8	14.6%	355 (93.9%)	4 (1.1%)	10 (2.6%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.6%)	50.9	382^nd of 686 public high schools	44.3%		81.9	99^th of 674 public high schools	85.3%	283	61.2	33.3	57.1																		$15,695	$1,118	$14,577
Hartman Elementary Center	Public	K-4	802 Southern Drive	Catawissa	17820	Columbia County	Southern Columbia Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 356-3250	456	36	12.5	12.7%	428 (93.9%)	7 (1.5%)	6 (1.3%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.6%)	73.6	425^th of 1526 public elementary schools	72.1%		73.9	407^th of 1534 public elementary schools	73.5%	18				71.2	66.2					69.0	87.8		87.8	62.5	60.8					61.8	$15,695	$1,118	$14,577

Cities Near Catawissa

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Bloomsburg	3.16 mi	9	166^th
Danville	7.85 mi	6	106^th
Mount Carmel	10.69 mi	3	633^rd
Berwick	12.8 mi	4	513^th
Millville	13.06 mi	2	238^th

See the top PA Pennsylvania cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.