State College Area Elementary Schools Ranked Among Best in Pennsylvania

Earlier this summer, State College Area School District was ranked among the top 20 in the state. Now four of its elementary schools have been recognized among the top 100 in Pennsylvania.

Corl Street, Radio Park, Houserville/Lemont and Ferguson Township elementary schools are all listed in the top 100 on the 2018 Best Public School Elementary Schools in Pennsylvania by Niche, a website that analyzes public data to provide rankings and ratings of schools and neighborhoods.

The site analyzed statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and parent and student reviews to formulate the ranking. 

‘Ranking factors include state test scores, student-teacher ratio, student diversity, teacher quality, grade school ratings, and the overall quality of the school district,’ according to Niche.

Corl Street was the highest ranked of the four, coming in at No. 26. Schools were given an overall letter grade, and grades for academics, teachers and diversity. Each grade is comprised of a variety of factors based on data and surveys.

Corl Street Elementary received an A+ for its overall grade, as well as for academics and teachers. It received a B- for diversity.

Radio Park Elementary came in at No. 35 with an A+ overall grade, A+ for teachers, A for academics and B for diversity.

The grades 3-5 Houserville Elementary and its sister school, K-2 Lemont Elementary, were combined to rank No. 84. They received an A+ overall grade and for teachers, A for academics and C+ for diversity.

Ferguson Township Elementary is No. 98 with an overall grade of A. It received an A+ for teachers, A for academics and C+ for diversity.

Corl Street and Radio Park elementary schools are slated to undergo major renovations and additions and Houserville and Lemont will combine in a single new school at the Houserville site. The projects are currently in the 90 percent design phase and construction is expected to begin in January with completion in the summer of 2019.

Ferguson Township Elementary received additions and renovations in 2011.

Gray’s Woods Elementary was No. 110, Mount Nittany Elementary No. 147, Easterly Parkway Elementary No. 155 and Park Forest Elementary No. 189 — all with an overall grade of A.

Nearly 1,800 schools were evaluated for the ranking.

Ithan Elementary School in the Radnor Township School District was the No. 1 ranked public elementary school on the list. Like Niche’s 2018 Best School Districts in Pennsylvania, the top 20 was dominated by schools from the Philadelphia suburbs and the Pittsburgh area.

In the school district rankings, State College Area was No. 16