Mahanoy Area School District

The Mahanoy Area School District in Pennsylvania has two schools: Mahanoy Area Elementary School and Mahanoy Area Junior/Senior High School. Both schools face significant academic challenges, with consistently low performance on standardized tests compared to state averages. The district serves a student population with high levels of economic disadvantage, as evidenced by the extremely high free and reduced lunch rates at both schools.

Mahanoy Area Elementary School has a student population that is 60.7% white, 35.26% Hispanic, and 1.58% African American, while the junior/senior high school has a student population that is 62.27% white, 32.58% Hispanic, and 2.47% African American. Both schools perform well below the state average on PSSA and Keystone Exams, with proficiency rates ranging from 2.1% to 39.5% across various grade levels and subjects. The district-wide PSSA math proficiency rates are particularly low, ranging from 2.1% in 6th grade to 27.8% in 3rd grade, compared to the state average of 36.4% to 51.7%.

The Mahanoy Area School District also faces challenges with graduation and dropout rates. The junior/senior high school has a 76.5% four-year graduation rate, which is lower than the state average, and a 3.5% dropout rate, which is higher than the state average. Despite similar per-student spending at both schools, the district has remained in the bottom quartile of Pennsylvania schools for several years, with no clear signs of improvement. Addressing these issues will likely require a comprehensive, data-driven approach to identify and address the root causes of the district's struggles.