The top reported proficiency rate is 89% in Science. The lowest is 79% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Waverly Sch
Waverly School is a kindergarten-through-fourth-grade elementary school in a historic, affluent residential village north of Scranton. The school serves a small community of about three hundred students, nearly all from white, upper-middle-income households with minimal free-or-reduced-price-lunch eligibility. The demographics reflect the town itself: Waverly is a refined 19th-century bedroom community where residents commute to jobs in Clarks Summit and Scranton, median home values are well above state and national benchmarks, and the protected historic district and low density of the township limit new construction and school enrollment growth.
The school's academic results are strong across subjects. In math proficiency on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, students in grades three through four perform well above the state standard. In English language arts, proficiency rates are slightly lower but still above the threshold, suggesting the district's recent shift to the Wit & Wisdom curriculum from Great Minds may still be settling in for some learners. Science proficiency, measured most recently, was quite high. When compared to the other districts serving Lackawanna County, Waverly's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a meaningful position that reflects both strong teaching and a student population with substantial educational support at home.
Because Waverly serves only kindergarten through fourth grade, state data on graduation rates, chronic absenteeism, and secondary outcomes do not apply to this school. Students transition to Abington Heights Middle School in Newton Township and then to the high school in Clarks Summit, both located several miles away from Waverly's historic village center. That separation is typical in the district's structure.
A practical consideration for families in or considering the Waverly area is the property tax environment in Abington Heights School District. Two consecutive years of school tax increases in 2022-23 and 2023-24 raised the millage rate materially, resetting the district's tax baseline after years of minimal increases. For homeowners in Waverly Township, this means the recurring annual cost of homeownership has grown noticeably. Concurrently, the district adopted the Wit & Wisdom English language arts curriculum across all elementary and middle schools, a knowledge-building, text-based program with a structured daily block that differs from prior practice. Families with children in the school should expect exposure to this curriculum change and can access Family Tip Sheets through the district website to understand the modules their child is studying.
The school's small size and homogeneous, affluent student body create a particular environment: one with strong peer academic momentum, substantial family engagement, and minimal economic or linguistic diversity. That is the community Waverly School serves. For families already rooted in the village, it offers strong academics and a neighborhood-scale school experience embedded in a walkable historic center. For families considering entry to the area, the high housing costs, recent property tax increases, and distance to secondary schools are material factors alongside the school's demonstrated academic strength.
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