The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in Math. The lowest is 51% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on West Hills Primary Sch
West Hills Primary School serves kindergarten through third grade in Kittanning, a small borough seated on the Allegheny River about a half hour northeast of Pittsburgh. The school enrolls students drawn from across Armstrong County, part of the consolidated Armstrong School District that has faced substantial budget pressure in recent years.
The school is housed at a single site on Heritage Park Drive and operates as a regular public elementary school. Its enrollment is entirely composed of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic makeup of its attendance zone. The student body is predominantly white, with very small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds.
In mathematics on the most recent state assessment, students in grades three scored at a proficiency rate around the midpoint of where you might expect to see early elementary learners. In English language arts, proficiency was noticeably lower. The school sits in the top quartile of overall proficiency across Armstrong County's public school districts on the basis of tested grades and subjects, though this comparison reflects a relatively small county peer group. Science testing does not apply to this school's grade band in the state assessment system, so no science data are reported.
The school's reading and math results suggest students are making progress in foundational skills but also that a substantial share are not yet meeting grade-level proficiency standards, particularly in literacy. A parent may want to look into the school's approach to early literacy intervention and how the school structures support for students who are not yet proficient, especially given the district's recent staffing reductions.
The broader context matters. In June 2025, the Armstrong School District furloughed nine teachers and support staff across elementary and secondary programs, including positions in physical education, music, and special education, after rejecting a proposed property tax increase. The district faces structural strain from declining enrollment and rising costs, with an increasing share of families choosing cyber charter schools. These cuts will affect West Hills' capacity for specialist instruction and support services in the 2025-26 school year and beyond. For families considering the school, this signals that program continuity and resource availability may tighten further as the district manages its fiscal situation.
The town of Kittanning itself is a settled, historic borough with a small downtown grid along the Allegheny riverfront. Population has been in a long decline from its mid-20th-century industrial peak. Housing is affordable relative to regional benchmarks, and the local economy is anchored by county government, the hospital, the school district, and some legacy manufacturing. There are no major recent developments reshaping the place; recent efforts focus on targeted infill redevelopment and regional economic diversification toward natural gas and technology parks. The school serves a community whose economic trajectory has been modest for some time, which aligns with the universal free and reduced lunch eligibility at West Hills.
See more original research from School Decision →