Original Research by School Decision on Five Points El Sch
Five Points Elementary School serves kindergarten through second grade in Bangor, a small historic slate-belt borough in Northampton County. The school enrolls a student body that is roughly evenly distributed across its three grade levels, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic, American Indian or Alaska Native, and multiracial students; Asian and Black students each represent a very small portion of enrollment. Data on students receiving special education services or English-learner support were not available.
The school sits within the Bangor Area School District, which serves seven municipalities across roughly 87 square miles. The district has faced structural budget pressure over the past several years, with school officials pointing to rising pension obligations, contractual salary and benefit growth, and the expense of charter-school tuition as drivers of property tax increases. Property tax millage for district residents rose in recent budget cycles, a cost that has accumulated across households in Bangor, East Bangor, Portland, Roseto, Upper Mount Bethel, Washington Township, and most of Lower Mount Bethel.
Bangor itself is a tight-knit community centered on a historic downtown with a compact walkable core along Broadway and Market Street. The borough's character reflects its slate-industry heritage: stone walls, slate roofs and sidewalks, and closely clustered Colonial and Queen Anne houses adjacent to contemporary subdivisions on the outskirts. Local commerce is largely independently owned—a general store, pubs, boutiques, ice cream shop—with big-box retail options located roughly a short drive away in Stroudsburg. Street life includes a year-round farmers' market, a Halloween parade, a holiday craft show, and seasonal car-cruise nights. Civic anchors include Bangor Memorial Park (with a pool, football and baseball fields, courts, and a train ride), the Bangor Public Library in a converted 1920s bank building, and several pocket parks. The borough's population has been essentially flat to slightly declining over recent decades, and economic activity centers on community-led revitalization: the historic downtown is undergoing conversion of older buildings into apartments and condos, and the Beautify Bangor Mural Project continues to boost downtown appeal. The borough participates in the Plan Slate Belt multi-municipal comprehensive plan and the Slate Belt Rising neighborhood initiative. Housing costs in the zip code are below state and national medians, making the area relatively affordable by regional standards.
State assessment data for Five Points was not available, likely because testing does not occur in kindergarten through second grade under Pennsylvania's statewide testing regime. No graduation rate applies because the school serves only early elementary grades. Chronic absenteeism data and comparative standing within Northampton County districts were similarly unavailable for this school. A parent seeking information about academic performance, school climate, staffing, discipline practices, or specific program offerings should contact the school or district directly for details that go beyond these grade levels and the data sources available here.
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