Summary:
The city of Northumberland, Pennsylvania, is home to two schools: Shikellamy Middle School and Priestley School. These schools serve students in grades 5-8 and K-2, respectively, within the Shikellamy School District. The data reveals notable differences between the two schools, with Shikellamy Middle School facing challenges in academic performance and student engagement, while Priestley School maintains a more consistent level of performance.
Shikellamy Middle School, with an enrollment of 674 students, has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 418 out of 883 Pennsylvania middle schools in 2021-2022 to 506 out of 891 in 2023-2024. The school's proficiency rates in Math, Science, and English Language Arts are consistently lower than the state and district averages, with its 2023-2024 Math proficiency rate at 29.3%, compared to the district's 34.6% and the state's 40.4%. Additionally, Shikellamy Middle School has a higher dropout rate of 1.6% in 2022-2023 and a higher student-teacher ratio of 19.5, compared to 16.6 at Priestley School.
In contrast, Priestley School, with an enrollment of 261 students, maintains a consistent 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past few years. While both schools have 100% of their students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, indicating a high-need student population, Priestley School spends slightly less per student at $13,514, compared to Shikellamy Middle School's $14,159 per student. The data suggests a potential disparity in performance between the elementary and middle school within the Shikellamy School District, which may warrant further examination and targeted interventions to support student achievement across all grade levels.
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