Southmoreland School District

The Southmoreland School District in Pennsylvania consists of 4 schools: 2 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. The district serves a predominantly white student population, with high rates of free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, indicating socioeconomic challenges.

Southmoreland Senior High School stands out with a relatively high 4-year graduation rate of 89.6% and a low dropout rate of 1.3%. However, the school struggles with Algebra I proficiency, scoring only 4.8% compared to the state average of 34.1%. In contrast, Southmoreland Elementary School outperforms the district and state averages in PSSA Math and English Language Arts assessments for grades 3-5, particularly in 3rd grade Math and 4th grade Science.

The district as a whole is ranked 383 out of 606 districts in Pennsylvania and is rated 2 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger, suggesting a need for improvement in academic outcomes. The high school's ranking has also seen a significant drop, from 173 out of 634 high schools in 2021-2022 to 446 out of 674 in 2022-2023. This decline in performance, along with the stark differences in Keystone Exam proficiency, highlights the need for the district to focus on improving math instruction and support, especially at the high school level, while also exploring ways to leverage the strengths of the elementary school.