McKeesport Area School District

The McKeesport Area School District consists of 4 schools, including 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school, serving students in the McKeesport area. While the district as a whole struggles academically, with performance well below state averages, Francis McClure Elementary School stands out as a relative bright spot, with significantly higher proficiency rates on standardized tests compared to the district and state.

Despite the district's challenges, Founders Hall Middle School has a 0% dropout rate, which is a positive standout metric compared to the high school's 5% dropout rate. However, the district's socioeconomic factors, such as extremely high rates of free/reduced lunch recipients, ranging from 77.89% at the high school to 100% at the two elementary schools, indicate a high level of economic disadvantage among the student populations.

While the district's per-student spending is relatively high, ranging from $15,522 to $18,487 per student, this does not seem to be translating into strong academic outcomes, suggesting potential issues with how resources are being utilized. The stark disparities in academic performance between the district's schools, with Francis McClure Elementary standing out as a relative success, highlight the importance of school-level analysis to identify pockets of success that can provide insights and best practices for the broader district.