Riverside School District

The Riverside School District in Pennsylvania operates 3 schools, including 2 elementary schools and 1 junior/senior high school. The district serves a diverse student population with a majority of white students and significant percentages of Hispanic and African American students, many of whom come from high-poverty backgrounds.

The standout school in the district is Riverside Junior/Senior High School, which has shown remarkable improvement in its statewide ranking, moving from 501 out of 693 Pennsylvania high schools in 2018-2019 to 193 out of 674 in 2022-2023. The high school maintains a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and boasts strong performance on Keystone Exams, with over 75% of students proficient or better in Literature and nearly 60% in Biology. In contrast, the district's elementary schools, such as Riverside Elementary School East, have lower rankings and mixed academic performance on PSSA tests, despite serving a high-need student population with nearly 100% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch.

The Riverside School District's performance highlights the need to address equity and achievement gaps across grade levels. While the high school's success is commendable, the district must focus on improving the academic outcomes of its elementary schools, which serve a predominantly high-poverty student population. By identifying and replicating the effective practices from the high school and implementing targeted strategies to support the unique needs of the elementary school students, the district can work towards more consistent and strong academic outcomes across all grade levels.