Fairfield Area Elementary School

Summary:

Fairfield Area Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 364 students in grades K-4 in the Fairfield Area School District in Fairfield, Pennsylvania. The school is highly regarded, earning a 4 out of 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for the 2023-2024 school year and ranking 404 out of 1,526 Pennsylvania elementary schools.

Fairfield Area Elementary School consistently outperforms its district and the state of Pennsylvania in academic achievement, particularly in PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) Math and Science. In 2023-2024, the school had 65.1% of students proficient or better in PSSA Math, compared to 42.2% for the district and 40.4% for the state. In PSSA Science, an impressive 93.3% of students were proficient or better, significantly higher than the district (72.5%) and state (65.8%) averages. The school's performance in PSSA English Language Arts is also strong, with 64.6% of students proficient or better, compared to 52.9% for the district and 53% for the state. Fairfield Area Elementary School's exceptional performance extends to specific student subgroups, such as male students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, where the school ranks among the top 300 elementary schools in Pennsylvania.

Compared to nearby schools, Fairfield Area Elementary School outperforms many of its regional counterparts, including Biglerville Elementary School, Fayetteville Elementary School, and several schools in the Waynesboro Area School District and Gettysburg Area School District. The school has also shown consistent improvement in its statewide ranking over the years, moving from 782 out of 1,544 Pennsylvania elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 404 out of 1,526 in 2023-2024. However, the school has seen an increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, from 21.5% in 2020-2021 to 36.54% in 2022-2023, indicating a growing population of students from lower-income families that the school may need to address to maintain its high level of performance.


Detail:

Public K-4

 4842 Fairfield Rd
       Fairfield, PA  17320-9200


(717) 642-8228

District: Fairfield Area School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
404th of 1,526 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $9,713 Help


Students who attend Fairfield Area Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Fairfield Area Middle School
High:    Fairfield Area High School

Student/teacher ratio:  11.3 Help
Number of students:  364

Racial breakdown:

White:
93.4%
Hispanic:
2.5%
Two or more races:
2.5%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  36.5% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Fairfield Area Elementary School ranks better than 73.5% of elementary schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 74.62. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (93.4%), Hispanic (2.5%), two or more races (2.5%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 36.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Fairfield Area Elementary School is 11.3. (See more...)
Help
Compare Fairfield Area Elementary School employs 32.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Fairfield Area Elementary School is $9,713.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Fairfield Area Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Fairfield Area Elementary School 404th of 1526 Pennsylvania public elementary schools. (See Fairfield Area Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
White students:


Fairfield Area School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Fairfield Area School District 326th of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Fairfield Area Elementary School?

Rank History for Fairfield Area Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Fairfield Area Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 61.09 692nd 1545 55.2%
2007 56.61 818th 1555 47.4%
2008 50.74 963rd 1551 37.9%
2009 44.05 1096th 1549 29.2%
2010 62.50 702nd 1579 55.5%
2011 53.04 966th 1597 39.5%
2012 63.74 735th 1599 54.0%
2013 62.24 712th 1519 53.1%
2014 64.93 615th 1467 58.1%
2015 44.27 954th 1474 35.3%
2016 38.63 1089th 1554 29.9%
2017 42.41 1037th 1547 33.0%
2018 46.40 981st 1530 35.9%
2019 57.63 782nd 1544 49.4%
2021 71.32 417th 1433 70.9%
2022 58.66 718th 1534 53.2%
2023 69.91 493rd 1534 67.9%
2024 74.62 404th 1526 73.5%
See the entire list of Pennsylvania Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Fairfield Area Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 75.22 271st 1414 80.8%
2024 74.65 297th 1432 79.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Fairfield Area Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 68.22 505th 1488 66.1%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Fairfield Area Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 78.19 300th 1495 79.9%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at Fairfield Area Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 54.33 583rd 1236 52.8%
2024 62.00 464th 1229 62.2%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Dept of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Fairfield Area Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a citizen
Thursday, September 8, 2016

Open Quote Great faculty! Caring teachers. Teachers get very involved with students and parents The perks of a small school district. Close Quote



Enrollment information for Fairfield Area Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 393 1 0 6 0 n/a n/a 0 400
1989 423 1 1 10 0 n/a n/a 0 435
1990 462 7 3 4 0 n/a n/a 0 476
1991 475 8 3 10 0 n/a n/a 0 496
1992 365 8 4 5 0 n/a n/a 0 382
1993 408 3 4 3 0 n/a n/a 0 418
1994 432 5 4 8 0 n/a n/a 0 449
1995 455 9 4 1 0 n/a n/a 0 469
1996 455 9 4 1 0 n/a n/a 0 469
1997 495 6 2 4 0 n/a n/a 0 507
1998 502 6 3 3 0 n/a n/a 0 514
1999 481 3 1 3 0 n/a n/a 0 488
2000 480 3 3 1 0 n/a n/a 0 487
2001 475 5 1 5 0 n/a n/a 0 486
2002 437 4 1 4 0 n/a n/a 0 446
2003 437 4 1 4 0 n/a n/a 0 446
2004 456 3 3 4 1 n/a n/a 0 467
2005 445 8 1 2 0 n/a n/a 0 456
2006 444 7 2 5 1 n/a n/a 0 459
2007 437 9 3 4 2 n/a n/a 0 455
2008 423 3 5 7 1 n/a n/a 0 439
2009 406 5 9 9 1 n/a n/a 2 432
2010 405 3 10 10 4 n/a n/a 1 433
2011 382 3 6 9 4 2 2 0 408
2012 344 4 5 9 4 1 1 0 368
2013 336 4 4 8 4 1 1 0 358
2014 331 4 3 10 4 1 0 0 353
2015 331 6 1 8 0 0 0 0 346
2016 324 3 1 7 0 0 0 0 335
2017 313 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 319
2018 318 2 3 5 0 0 1 0 329
2019 304 7 4 6 0 0 1 0 322
2020 312 9 3 9 0 0 2 0 335
2021 294 5 3 4 1 0 0 0 307
2022 334 5 3 6 0 0 3 0 351
2023 340 4 2 9 0 0 9 0 364

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Fairfield Area Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 400 24.0 16.6 n/a
1989 435 25.0 17.4 n/a
1990 476 29.0 16.4 0
1991 496 30.0 16.5 n/a
1992 382 21.0 18.1 n/a
1993 418 21.0 19.9 n/a
1994 449 22.0 20.4 n/a
1995 469 22.0 21.3 n/a
1996 469 22.0 21.3 n/a
1997 507 23.0 22.0 n/a
1998 514 23.0 22.3 n/a
1999 488 26.0 18.8 n/a
2000 487 26.0 18.7 11.5
2001 486 27.0 18.0 13.2
2002 446 27.0 16.5 15.9
2003 446 27.0 16.5 15.9
2004 467 28.0 16.7 13.3
2005 456 27.0 16.9 15.6
2006 459 26.6 17.3 17.4
2007 455 25.3 18.0 14.3
2008 439 26.4 16.6 18
2009 432 25.2 17.1 18.6
2010 433 26.0 16.6 13.2
2011 408 27.2 14.9 18.4
2012 368 25.2 14.5 23.4
2013 358 21.2 16.8 20.4
2014 353 22.5 15.6 18.1
2015 346 23.0 15.0 26.6
2016 335 22.0 15.2 25.7
2017 319 22.8 13.9 24.5
2018 329 23.9 13.7 22.2
2019 322 24.3 13.2 19.9
2020 335 23.6 14.1 21.2
2021 307 23.5 13.0 21.5
2022 351 27.7 12.6 34.2
2023 364 32.1 11.3 36.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Fairfield Area Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 400 24.0 16.6 n/a
1989 435 25.0 17.4 n/a
1990 476 29.0 16.4 0
1991 496 30.0 16.5 n/a
1992 382 21.0 18.1 n/a
1993 418 21.0 19.9 n/a
1994 449 22.0 20.4 n/a
1995 469 22.0 21.3 n/a
1996 469 22.0 21.3 n/a
1997 507 23.0 22.0 n/a
1998 514 23.0 22.3 n/a
1999 488 26.0 18.8 n/a
2000 487 26.0 18.7 11.5
2001 486 27.0 18.0 13.2
2002 446 27.0 16.5 15.9
2003 446 27.0 16.5 15.9
2004 467 28.0 16.7 13.3
2005 456 27.0 16.9 15.6
2006 459 26.6 17.3 17.4
2007 455 25.3 18.0 14.3
2008 439 26.4 16.6 18
2009 432 25.2 17.1 18.6
2010 433 26.0 16.6 13.2
2011 408 27.2 14.9 18.4
2012 368 25.2 14.5 23.4
2013 358 21.2 16.8 20.4
2014 353 22.5 15.6 18.1
2015 346 23.0 15.0 26.6
2016 335 22.0 15.2 25.7
2017 319 22.8 13.9 24.5
2018 329 23.9 13.7 22.2
2019 322 24.3 13.2 19.9
2020 335 23.6 14.1 21.2
2021 307 23.5 13.0 21.5
2022 351 27.7 12.6 34.2
2023 364 32.1 11.3 36.5

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Fairfield Area Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $534 (4.2%) $12,071 (95.8%) $12,605
2020 $574 (4.4%) $12,443 (95.6%) $13,016
2021 $1,189 (8.4%) $12,949 (91.6%) $14,138
2022 $143 (1.5%) $9,570 (98.5%) $9,713

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Fairfield Area Elementary School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 782nd of 1544 Elementary schoolsRanks 493rd of 1534 Elementary schools
 18.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Fairfield Area Elementary School)67.281
 13.8%
   3rd Grade Math (Pennsylvania)5651.7
 4.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Fairfield Area Elementary School)65.775.4
 9.7%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)61.954
 7.9%
4th Grade Math (Fairfield Area Elementary School)48.549.2
 0.7%
   4th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)46.246.5
 0.3%
4th Grade Science (Fairfield Area Elementary School)80.382
 1.7%
   4th Grade Science (Pennsylvania)77.874.1
 3.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Fairfield Area Elementary School)6350.8
 12.2%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)63.651.8
 11.8%
All Grades Math (Fairfield Area Elementary School)58.164.7
 6.6%
   All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)42.439.3
 3.1%
All Grades Science (Fairfield Area Elementary School)80.382
 1.7%
   All Grades Science (Pennsylvania)6865.6
 2.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Fairfield Area Elementary School)64.562.7
 1.8%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)60.953.8
 7.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students322364
 13%
African American74
 42.9%
American Indian00
Asian42
 50%
Hispanic69
 50%
Pacific Islander00
White304340
 11.8%
Two or More Races19
 800%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients19.9%36.5%
 16.7%


Schools Near Fairfield Area Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Fairfield Area Elementary School

Students who attend Fairfield Area Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Fairfield Area Middle School
High : Fairfield Area High School

Students at Fairfield Area Elementary School are 93% White, 2% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

In the 2022-23 school year, 364 students attended Fairfield Area Elementary School.

Fairfield Area Elementary School ranks 404th of 1526 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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