The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Science. The lowest is 32% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Audrielle Lynch-ellen Bustin El Sch
Audrielle Lynch-Ellen Bustin Elementary sits in Athens, a small borough on the Susquehanna River plain in Bradford County, and enrolls kindergarten through fifth grade in a regular public school setting. The school is part of the Athens Area School District, an independent district now facing fiscal pressure after nearby Sayre Area schools abandoned merger talks in 2024.
The neighborhood is quiet and community-focused, with a historic Main Street a short distance away and a mix of older housing stock on side streets. The district has confirmed budget constraints for the coming years. A property tax increase at the maximum allowed rate still left a significant deficit for 2025-26, and the district is actively weighing budget cuts. A parent moving to the area should understand that the local schools are navigating real financial strain, and tax increases and possible program reductions may continue.
On academics, the school shows uneven performance across subjects. In mathematics, about two of five third-through-fifth graders scored at the proficient level or above on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment in 2024-25. In English language arts, the proficiency rate was even lower, at roughly three in ten students. Science performance was notably stronger, with about three quarters of tested students meeting or exceeding proficiency in 2023-24. Among the eight districts in Bradford County, this school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, a position it holds even with the lower results in math and ELA. The school's strength is science; math and reading proficiency are areas where progress will matter.
The enrollment is stable, with roughly equal cohorts across the grade band and a small total population of a few hundred. Nearly all students in the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a threshold that reflects broad economic need in the school's student base. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares identifying as Hispanic, Black, Asian, or multiracial. Data on special education enrollment and English learners were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about the size of those populations and what services are offered.
The school sits within the borough itself, not on an outlying campus, with schools and civic institutions woven into the town blocks. The area has modest public amenities including a library, riverfront walking trail, and several parks. Housing values are below state and national medians, and rentals are affordable; the area has not experienced the growth pressure of many communities, with a long, gradual population decline over decades. The local economy is anchored by Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital in nearby Sayre, a large regional health system and the area's top employer.
For a family seeking an elementary school in a small, stable, economically modest community with science as a bright spot and math and reading as areas needing attention, this is the neighborhood and school environment. The fiscal pressures on the district are real and worth monitoring as decisions about programming and resources continue.
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