Austin Area School District

The Austin Area School District in Pennsylvania operates two schools: Austin Area Junior/Senior High School and Austin Area Elementary School. While the high school consistently ranks among the top 25% of Pennsylvania high schools, the elementary school struggles, ranking in the bottom 30% of the state's elementary schools.

Austin Area Junior/Senior High School stands out for its impressive academic performance, with a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and significantly outperforming state averages in PSSA and Keystone Exam proficiency rates. The school also boasts a 100% four-year graduation rate and a low 2.1% dropout rate. In contrast, Austin Area Elementary School underperforms the state averages in Math and English Language Arts PSSA proficiency, despite having a higher per-student spending of $25,314 compared to the high school's $21,304.

The data suggests that socioeconomic factors may play a role in the disparity between the two schools, as the elementary school has a higher percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch (45.16%) compared to the high school (31.43%). Additionally, both schools have a predominantly white student population, with the high school at 97.14% and the elementary school at 98.39%, which may warrant further exploration to understand its potential impact on the educational experience and outcomes.