Original Research by School Decision on Fell Cs
Fell CS is a small independent charter district serving kindergarten through ninth grade in Simpson, Pennsylvania. The school operates as a single school within Lackawanna County and functions as a tuition-free public option for families in the area.
The enrollment sits at just under one hundred students, with the largest cohorts in the earliest grades and substantially smaller numbers as students progress through the upper elementary and middle years. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller populations of Black and Hispanic students represented roughly equally, along with a very small number of American Indian students and students identifying as multiracial. No Asian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students are enrolled. Data on the share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, as well as counts of students with individualized education plans or English learners, were not available.
State assessment proficiency data and four-year graduation rates are not reported for Fell CS, which is typical for schools serving through ninth grade; those measures apply to grade spans that extend into secondary testing and diploma-granting. Without those benchmarks, a parent cannot draw a direct academic comparison between Fell and other districts in Lackawanna County based on state testing or completion rates.
Among the county's districts, Fell CS spends at the upper range on current per-pupil expenditure, notably higher than the county median. The district's chronic absenteeism rate falls below the county midpoint, suggesting somewhat more consistent daily attendance than the typical Lackawanna County district experiences.
The school has navigated recent governance transitions. In 2023, the Carbondale Area School Board did not act on a charter renewal, with the local renewal resolution failing for lack of a motion or second. The Pennsylvania Department of Education subsequently granted Fell CS a third charter renewal at the state level, preserving its operation and giving families confidence in the school's continuation. Around the same time, the school expanded to include ninth grade, extending the span by one year and allowing students to spend an additional year at Fell before transitioning to high school. The school discontinued its traditional Summer Success program following a review of best practices in child development and education, replacing what had been a standing summer offering that some families relied on.
For families in or considering Simpson and the surrounding area, Fell CS represents a small, publicly funded charter alternative to the conventional district structure, with stable governance after recent uncertainty and a modest expansion of grade access. The per-pupil spending level is high relative to county peers, and daily attendance patterns are relatively strong. A parent interested in this option may want to speak directly with the school about the discontinuation of summer programming and about academic support structures available during the regular school year, particularly as students move into the middle grades where enrollment narrows considerably.
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