Best Public Schools in Zip Code 16101

Summary:

The 16101 zip code area is home to 12 schools, including 4 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, and 5 high schools. The data reveals significant disparities in academic performance across these schools, with some standout institutions like Laurel Elementary School and Shenango Elementary School leading the pack in PSSA test scores, while others struggle to meet state and district averages.

The high-performing elementary schools, Laurel Elementary and Shenango Elementary, boast proficiency rates above 50% in Math, Science, and English Language Arts. At the high school level, Laurel High School and Shenango High School stand out with Keystone Exam proficiency rates exceeding the state average in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature. These high-performing schools also have higher graduation rates and lower dropout rates compared to their peers.

However, the data also reveals significant economic challenges in the 16101 zip code, with several schools reporting 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This high rate of economic disadvantage appears to be closely linked to academic performance, as the schools with the lowest test scores tend to have the highest percentages of students from low-income families. Addressing these disparities in resources and opportunities will be crucial for ensuring all students in the Laurel School District, Shenango Area School District, New Castle Area School District, Union Area School District, and Lawrence County Career and Technical Center have access to a high-quality education.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2024)	Keystone Exams Biology (2024)	Keystone Exams Literature (2024)	PSSA Math (2024)							PSSA Science (2024)			PSSA English Language Arts (2024)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 3rd Grade	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA Science 4th Grade	PSSA Science 8th Grade	PSSA Science All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Lawrence County Career and Technical Center	Public	9-12	750 Phelps Way	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Lawrence County Career and Technical Center	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-3583	378	31	12.2	100.0%	320 (84.7%)	15 (4.0%)	11 (2.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	28 (7.4%)	19.5	560^th of 686 public high schools	18.4%		13.3	580^th of 674 public high schools	13.9%	20	22.5	31.3	39.7
New Castle Senior High School	Public	9-12	300 E Lincoln Ave	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	New Castle Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 656-4700	771	49	15.6	100.0%	450 (58.4%)	201 (26.1%)	31 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	87 (11.3%)	27.5	517^th of 686 public high schools	24.6%		31.1	501^st of 674 public high schools	25.7%	16	33.1	31.7	44.6																		$17,662	$2,771	$14,891
New Castle Junior High School	Public	6-8	310 E Lincoln Ave	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	New Castle Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 656-4700	706	42	17.0	99.6%	374 (53.0%)	151 (21.4%)	55 (7.8%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	122 (17.3%)	13.2	755^th of 891 public middle schools	15.3%		12.6	763^rd of 893 public middle schools	14.6%	8							11.1	15.8	7.5	11.3		27.9	27.9				16.9	20.8	18.0	18.4	$13,237	$2,126	$11,111
Harry W Lockley Early Learning Center	Public	K-2	900 East Main St.	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	New Castle Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 656-4735	775	49	15.8	100.0%	384 (49.5%)	148 (19.1%)	48 (6.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	192 (24.8%)								(n/a)																					$17,288	$2,819	$14,469
Shenango Elementary School	Public	K-6	2501 Old Pittsburgh Rd	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Shenango Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 658-5566	528	41	13.0	100.0%	484 (91.7%)	4 (0.8%)	6 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (6.1%)	73.5	427^th of 1526 public elementary schools	72.0%		69.3	511^th of 1534 public elementary schools	66.7%	84				73.7	57.4	40.1	42.6			52.7	87.0		87.0	72.4	70.3	61.7	73.8			69.4	$16,045	$1,780	$14,266
Shenango High School	Public	7-12	2550 Ellwood Rd	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Shenango Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-5537	468	39	12.1	42.9%	439 (93.8%)	5 (1.1%)	5 (1.1%)	4 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.2%)	84	89^th of 686 public high schools	87.0%		83.1	91^st of 674 public high schools	86.5%	2	65.0	78.1	70.3					32.1	44.3	38.5		69.7	69.7					70.3	59.6	64.7	$28,923	$5,234	$23,689
Union Memorial Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	500 S Scotland Ln	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Union Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 652-6683	338	29	11.6	66.0%	262 (77.5%)	34 (10.1%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (11.2%)	63.3	631^st of 1526 public elementary schools	58.7%		72.1	450^th of 1534 public elementary schools	70.7%	181				64.6	49.1	52.1				55.1	80.4		80.4	72.9	48.0	56.3				58.9	$18,116	$1,268	$16,848
Union Area High School	Public	9-12	2106 Camden Ave	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Union Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-4501	194	19	10.4	52.6%	167 (86.1%)	18 (9.3%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (3.1%)	74.2	164^th of 686 public high schools	76.1%		61	287^th of 674 public high schools	57.4%	123	58.3	62.9	66.7																		$23,162	$1,621	$21,541
Union Area Middle School	Public	6-8	2106 Camden Ave	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Union Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 658-4501	175	11	15.9	65.1%	136 (77.7%)	25 (14.3%)	3 (1.7%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (5.7%)	66.7	290^th of 891 public middle schools	67.5%		73.6	212^th of 893 public middle schools	76.3%	78							38.0	39.3	31.7	36.8		56.1	56.1				70.0	64.0	41.5	59.9	$18,107	$1,267	$16,840
Laurel High School	Public	9-12	2497 Harlansburg Rd	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-9056	328	28	11.6	22.6%	317 (96.6%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.2%)	75.8	153^rd of 686 public high schools	77.7%		79.6	114^th of 674 public high schools	83.1%	39	50.0	68.1	72.0																		$18,193	$460	$17,733
Laurel Elementary School	Public	K-6	223 McCaslin Rd	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 658-2673	496	33	15.2	21.2%	480 (96.8%)	4 (0.8%)	7 (1.4%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	85.7	178^th of 1526 public elementary schools	88.3%		86	173^rd of 1534 public elementary schools	88.7%	5				69.2	82.3	70.2	70.4			72.8	91.2		91.2	66.7	80.9	67.1	80.5			73.6	$15,775	$1,310	$14,465
Laurel Middle School	Public	7-8	2497 Harlansburg RD	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-9056	161	8	20.4	25.5%	157 (97.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.2%)	81.2	130^th of 891 public middle schools	85.4%		66.9	279^th of 893 public middle schools	68.8%	149								46.2	38.0	42.1		72.1	72.1					71.8	60.2	66.0	$18,169	$460	$17,709

Cities Near Zip Code 16101

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
New Castle	0.91 mi	19	274^th
Ellwood City	8.72 mi	7	309^th
New Wilmington	9.36 mi	3	358^th
Darlington	12.77 mi	1	598^th
West Middlesex	14 mi	4	449^th

See the top PA Pennsylvania cities

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.