The top reported proficiency rate is 20% in Social studies. The lowest is 2% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on East Middle at Prberry
East Middle at PRBerry is a middle school serving grades six through eight in Youngstown, a post-industrial Rust Belt city where population decline has been slowing but infrastructure far exceeds the city's current resident base. The school enrolls roughly a third of the size typical for its grade band, with a student body that is majority Black and Hispanic, and a smaller share of white and multiracial students. American Indian, Alaska Native, and Asian students are not enrolled. The school's location on Bryn Mawr Avenue sits within a city neighborhood defined by older housing stock, vacant land, and the effects of decades of economic contraction.
State test results from the most recent school year show proficiency rates that are markedly low across the subjects tested. In mathematics, the proficiency rate was extremely low. In English language arts, roughly one in ten students tested reached proficiency. Science proficiency was also in single digits. The school's average scale scores in all three subjects cluster in a narrow band in the mid-600s, suggesting consistent performance across the tested domain but at a level well below state benchmarks. Participation in testing was complete or near-complete, so these figures reflect actual student performance rather than gaps in assessment administration. Science testing was administered to a smaller subset of the grade level, which is typical for middle grades in Ohio. Social studies data from an earlier period (2016-17) are not current and so should not guide expectations for today's student experience.
When compared against the other districts in Mahoning County, East Middle at PRBerry's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The school's results are materially weaker than the county's median performance. Graduation rate and chronic absenteeism data are not available for this school, as those metrics apply to high school and district-level systems, not to middle schools.
The district serving this school is Youngstown City, which has undergone substantial recent structural change. In 2022, after years of state-appointed management through Ohio's Academic Distress Commission, governance returned to the locally elected school board, restoring parent and voter voice over decisions while the district operates under a state-mandated academic improvement plan. In January 2024, the district closed Kirkmere Elementary as a standalone building and reassigned its students to other elementary schools based on residence, consolidating those families into different buildings and creating longer bus routes for some families on the west and south sides. A major two-phase reconfiguration announced in June 2025 will begin in the 2026-27 school year, merging the district's two traditional middle schools into one unified middle school. Starting that same year, all high school juniors and seniors will be required to choose either a career and technical education pathway at the Choffin Career and Technical Center or enroll in College Credit Plus courses, representing a fundamental shift in how the district structures the high school experience. In November 2023, voters renewed a property-tax levy that will remain in effect through 2028, locking in an annual school funding obligation for Youngstown property owners.
Youngstown itself is slowly stabilizing after decades of population loss tied to the collapse of the steel industry in the late 1970s and 1980s. Downtown and the Youngstown State University area have become anchors for walkability and civic life, with restaurants, bars, theaters, parks, and a free transit system concentrating activity there. Mill Creek Park, one of the nation's largest metropolitan parks, serves as a major recreational resource. Major employers include YSU and Mercy Health – St. Elizabeth Hospital; the region has begun rebranding around the Ultium Cells EV battery plant as "Voltage Valley." Recent downtown development has converted older buildings into apartments and created new dining and entertainment venues within a state-designated arts district. Housing prices in the Youngstown zip code are well below the state benchmark and affordability is favorable relative to national standards, making homeownership accessible on typical household incomes, though the overall economic context reflects a city with very limited job growth and an unemployment rate near the national average.
A parent considering this school should be aware that proficiency levels are very low and ask the school directly about specific interventions, support structures, reading and math remediation, tutoring availability, and how the pending middle school consolidation might affect day-to-day operations and teacher continuity. The school's small enrollment relative to its grade band may reflect ongoing district enrollment decline or attendance zone boundaries; asking the district about enrollment trends and stability would help contextualize what that size means for peer cohorts and course offerings.
See more original research from School Decision →