The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Science. The lowest is 12% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Sheridan El Sch
Sheridan Elementary is a grades-one-through-five school located in downtown Allentown at North 2nd Street. It serves an entirely free-lunch-eligible student population that is predominantly Hispanic, with smaller shares of Black and white students. The enrollment is small for an elementary school of its grades, and the school sits in a dense urban neighborhood in Pennsylvania's third-largest city, which is undergoing active downtown revitalization.
On state assessments administered in recent years, Sheridan has shown uneven results. In mathematics and English language arts—the two most recent tested subjects—proficiency sits well below the state benchmark. In mathematics, a modest share of tested students met proficiency standards, while in English language arts the figure was still lower. Science proficiency, measured most recently, was notably stronger and closer to the midpoint. When placed against other districts in Lehigh County on a composite measure, Sheridan falls in the bottom quartile overall, reflecting the weight of the lower literacy and math figures.
A parent should understand that Sheridan's test results indicate the school is working with students reading and computing significantly below grade-level expectations. This is a school community where most children are in poverty and that faces real academic challenges. The specific reasons—whether they relate to instruction, turnover, resources, prior preparation of students, or a combination—are not evident from the data available, so a parent would want to ask the school directly about its approach to literacy and numeracy intervention, staff stability, and any supports the school or district is providing.
The district itself, Allentown City School District, has adopted a long-range strategic plan emphasizing third-grade literacy proficiency and Algebra I competency by ninth grade, among other aims. It has also opened three new theme-based schools starting in fall of 2024, expanding choice. The district received a significant increase in state funding in recent years following Pennsylvania's school-funding lawsuit and changes to the adequacy formula, which has allowed it to hold property tax rates flat while investing in new programs and capital projects. However, after three years of flat taxes, the district is proposing a modest increase for 2026-27 to fund ongoing capital improvements.
The broader Allentown setting is worth noting. The downtown is walkable and seeing renewed investment in housing, offices, retail, and cultural amenities, especially along Hamilton Street and the ArtsWalk. Major employers—Lehigh Valley Health Network, Air Products, PPL Corporation, and others—anchor the region's economy. Housing values in the city zip code are modest relative to state and national benchmarks, making homeownership more affordable than in many Pennsylvania neighborhoods. Rental costs are also moderate. This is a city in transition: actively building downtown, with new schools and civic infrastructure under way, while also grappling with a housing shortage and the legacy economic shifts of post-industrial Pennsylvania.
For a family considering Sheridan, the school offers a neighborhood setting in a revitalizing urban center with short commutes to major employers and cultural resources. The downside is clear proficiency gaps in core academics, especially early literacy and math, that suggest children here are entering without strong prior skills and the school is not yet closing those gaps at the rate expected. How the school responds to the district's new strategic focus on third-grade literacy will be worth monitoring closely. A parent should ask about current literacy intervention programs, staffing, and early-grade screening and support in place now.
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