Summary:
The city of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania is home to three schools that serve students from elementary through high school: Tamaqua Elementary School, Tamaqua Area Senior High School, and Tamaqua Area Middle School. While the high school stands out with a strong graduation rate and solid performance on state exams, the district as a whole has room for improvement, with the elementary and middle schools struggling to match state averages on key metrics.
Tamaqua Area School District is ranked 416 out of 606 districts in Pennsylvania and rated 2 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger. The high school is the highest-performing school in the district, ranked 399 out of 674 Pennsylvania high schools and earning a 2-star rating. It boasts a 90.9% four-year graduation rate and 66.7% proficiency on the Keystone Literature exam, outpacing the state average. In contrast, the elementary and middle schools lag behind, with lower proficiency rates on PSSA Math and English Language Arts tests compared to state and district averages.
Socioeconomic factors also play a role, as the elementary school has a significantly higher free and reduced lunch rate of 67.63% compared to 50.51% at the high school. Additionally, the middle school has the highest per-student spending at $16,179, yet its test scores are the lowest in the district, suggesting that increased funding does not necessarily translate to better academic performance. Overall, the Tamaqua schools present a mixed picture, with the high school standing out but the district as a whole needing to address disparities in resources and student outcomes across the different grade levels.
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