The top reported proficiency rate is 100% in Social studies. The lowest is 94% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Pugliese Elementary West
Pugliese Elementary West is a school serving prekindergarten through fourth grade in Steubenville, a small Ohio River city with deep industrial roots. The school enrolls a mid-sized cohort of young learners, with roughly balanced enrollment across its grade bands.
The school's most striking feature is its proficiency performance. In the most recent state testing, Pugliese West's students in grades three and four achieved proficiency rates well above the state baseline in both English language arts and math, with nearly complete participation in testing. The school sits in the top quartile for proficiency among the schools in its county peer group, a position that reflects consistent strong academic fundamentals in the early grades. Because this school serves only through fourth grade, state testing data covers only third and fourth grades; sixth-grade math and reading assessments and high school pathways lie downstream.
The student body is predominantly white, with substantial representations of multiracial and Black students, smaller populations of Hispanic students, and very small numbers of Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students. Federal data on free or reduced price lunch eligibility and on students with disabilities or English learner status were not available. The school's position within Steubenville's broader K-12 landscape matters. The district has recently made tangible moves to strengthen STEM learning across all grades, earning Project Lead the Way Distinguished District status with all six buildings, including Pugliese West, recognized as Distinguished Schools in 2025-26. The high school now houses a purpose-built STEM Academy offering aerospace engineering, biomedical science, health informatics, and other college-credit pathways that did not exist a few years ago. For families thinking ahead to middle and high school, this represents genuine expansion of what the district can offer.
Steubenville itself is a community in transition. Long a steel manufacturing hub, the city experienced sharp population decline over decades but has begun to show signs of stabilization and targeted reinvestment. Downtown is walkable, anchored by historic architecture, murals, and a growing collection of independent businesses and street festivals. Housing values in the zip code are well below state and national medians, making homeownership and rental costs affordable compared to most Ohio markets. The local job base includes health care, higher education, and the remaining industrial sector, alongside small business growth. Public transportation connects the city to neighboring communities and regional destinations.
For a family considering Pugliese West, the school represents solid early-elementary academics in a district that has made deliberate investments in STEM and career pathways for its older grades. The setting is small-city, the community older but not declining rapidly, and the school itself sits on a positive proficiency trajectory relative to its county peers.
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