Lancaster County, Pennsylvania schools

Map of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Public School Districts.

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania schools include 16 school districts and 1 charter school.

The public school districts include the following: Cocalico, Columbia Borough, Conestoga Valley, Donegal, Eastern Lancaster County, Elizabethtown Area, Ephrata Area, Hempfield, Lampeter-Strasburg, Lancaster, Manheim Central, Manheim Township, Penn Manor, Pequea Valley, Solanco, and Warwick.

There is also one charter school, the La Academia Charter School.

SAT scores

2012 SAT: average scores Lancaster County schools
School District	Verbal	Math	Writing	Total
Cocalico	498	515	491	1504
Columbia Borough	463	471	431	1365
Conestoga Valley	508	523	492	1523
Donegal	501	488	476	1465
Eastern Lancaster County	490	506	468	1464
Elizabethtown Area	510	522	486	1518
Ephrata Area	508	523	477	1508
Hempfield	519	547	499	1565
Lampeter-Strasburg	526	542	512	1580
Lancaster	415	426	402	1243
Manheim Central	510	514	496	1520
Manheim Township	537	557	524	1618
Penn Manor	497	516	479	1492
Pequea Valley	479	494	466	1439
Solanco	487	489	460	1436
Warwick	522	532	499	1553
County average	498	510	479	1487
Pennsylvania average	473	481	450	1404
U.S. average	497	514	489	1500
Possible on each test: 800 points
Source: Public School SAT Scores, PA Department of Education [1]
U.S. Average Source: 2011 SAT Report, CollegeBoard [2]

The Scholastic Aptitude Test is a college admissions test administered by the College Board. Taking the test requires both planning (registration weeks or months before the test is administered) and payment of a fee.

High scores do not necessarily mean better schools. In blue-collar communities, fewer students will plan for and pay to take the SAT, but those students will tend to be the best students in the school, while in white-collar communities, more average students will take the SAT. In 2003, North Dakota, tied for last place in participation (4%), yet had the highest SAT scores in the nation (602 verbal, 613 math). That same year, 73% of all Pennsylvania students took the SAT, scoring 500 verbal and 502 math.

The SAT has recently been changed to have three sections - reading, math, and writing - instead of two sections - verbal and math. The highest score possible on a section is 800. Students accepted for admission to the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania in 2000 averaged over 700 points on each of the sections (verbal and math) used then. On the other hand, Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania offers an honors program to 25-30 incoming freshmen each year, who average 600 on each section of the SAT.

PSSA scores

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment refers to standardized tests that grade the school, rather than individual students. Every Pennsylvania student is tested annually in grades 3 through 8, and in grade 11 for both math and reading proficiency; those in grades 5, 8 and 11 are tested for writing proficiency as well.

Target goals are for 80% graduation rate (for high schools) and 90% attendance, 45% mathematics proficiency and 54% reading proficiency, and 95% participation in taking the PSSA tests. Schools are considered to meet the goal with substandard scores if they show improvement over the prior year.

These goals exist for not only the entire school, but for certain subgroups. In theory, a school could have as many as 41 goals to meet, but since schools are exempt from a subgroup goal if the subgroup has fewer than 40 students in that subgroup, no Lancaster County school has anywhere near 41 goals to meet.

Explaining the scores and levels

Scores show (passing/all) AYP goals.

Schools progress from Warning to School Improvement I, School Improvement II, School Corrective Action I, and to School Corrective Action II for missing the same AYP goal in repeated years. If different AYP targets are missed each year, a school can fail to meet AYP goals forever, yet remain in the “Warning” category.

Pennsylvania System of School Assessment 2011-2012 PSSA proficiency levels for Lancaster County schools
School District	3-5 Reading	3-5 Math	6-8 Reading	6-8 Math	11 Reading	11 Math
Cocalico	82.7%	86.1%	85.8%	89.5%	68.1%	61.4%
Columbia Borough	60.9%	72.4%	53.2%	67.3%	46.8%	45.3%
Conestoga Valley	76.3%	84.9%	83.9%	90.0%	82.7%	75.0%
Donegal	73.1%	82.5%	71.5%	82.9%	62.3%	51.8%
Eastern Lancaster County	72.5%	81.7%	79.9%	84.0%	74.4%	68.1%
Elizabethtown Area	70.8%	80.3%	76.6%	85.4%	72.2%	67.3%
Ephrata Area	77.4%	87.7%	79.1%	85.4%	72.3%	75.7%
Hempfield	85.5%	89.8%	86.5%	88.8%	76.6%	73.8%
Lampeter-Strasburg	89.0%	91.0%	86.9%	90.7%	86.1%	81.0%
Lancaster	50.5%	63.5%	46.4%	55.4%	43.9%	32.6%
Manheim Central	76.6%	83.7%	84.3%	90.1%	64.6%	64.5%
Manheim Township	80.1%	90.2%	85.9%	88.0%	77.7%	72.1%
Penn Manor	75.5%	86.4%	80.7%	85.6%	76.3%	69.7%
Pequea Valley	77.7%	86.4%	68.9%	74.4%	72.2%	52.0%
Solanco	82.9%	88.5%	85.6%	87.9%	69.6%	56.5%
Warwick	79.5%	83.7%	86.6%	87.1%	77.8%	72.8%
Source: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/school_assessments/7442

AYP (adequate yearly progress) status)

^{Scores show (Satisfactory goals/Total Goals)}

Met AYP goals

^{Satisfactory results in meeting all goals}

• 104 of the county's 117 schools fit in this category.

Making Progress

^{Substandard performances, but showing improvement}

• Columbia Junior/Senior High School (17/17)
• Fulton Elementary School (13/13)
• George Washington Elementary (21/21)
• Hand Middle School (22/22)
• Reynolds Middle School (16/16)
• Ross Elementary School (11/11)

Warning

^{Missed AYP goals, but not same goal in consecutive years}

• Burrowes School (10/13)
• Ephrata Senior High School (12/13)
• Hempfield Senior High School (16/17)
• Warwick Middle School (11/13)

School Improvement I

^{Missed same AYP goal two consecutive years}

• (no schools in this category)

School Improvement II

^{Missed same AYP goal three consecutive years}

• (no schools in this category)

Corrective Action I

^{Missed same AYP goal four consecutive years}

• Buehrle Alternative School (3/9)
• Elizabethtown Area Middle School (11/13)
• King Elementary School (12/17)
• McCaskey Campuses (26/29)
• Price Elementary School (12/13)
• Warwick Senior High School (11/13)

Corrective Action II

^{Missed same AYP goal five consecutive years}

• Wheatland Middle School (21/23)

Corrective Action III

^{Missed same AYP goal six or more consecutive years}

• (no schools in this category)