The top reported proficiency rate is 73% in Science. The lowest is 51% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on W W Evans Memorial El Sch
W W Evans Memorial Elementary serves the kindergarten through fifth-grade students of Bloomsburg, a small college town along the Susquehanna River and the seat of Columbia County. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with a modest share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. About a third of enrolled students meet the income threshold for the federal lunch subsidy, reflecting both the town's economic base and broader patterns of uneven income distribution in the region.
Academically, the school's performance is mixed. In mathematics and English language arts on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, students tested in grades three through five achieved proficiency at just above the midpoint rate. Science proficiency was notably stronger, with a substantially higher proportion of students meeting the state benchmark. Across all tested subjects, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the median among Columbia County's other districts. A parent may want to look into the lower performance in ELA and math more closely with the school, to understand whether students there are receiving additional support and what approaches the faculty are using to address those gaps.
The school is small to mid-sized for an elementary building of its grade band, with a balanced enrollment across grades, though the fourth and fifth grades carry slightly larger cohorts. The student population is stable, without evidence of major turnover. Because the school serves only early elementary grades, state testing occurs only in grades three through five, and no graduation rates or secondary outcomes are available.
Bloomsburg itself is a town of preserved architecture and civic institutions. Downtown features walk-up apartments above storefronts, tree-lined streets, and a National Register Historic District; the public library, courthouse, and town offices anchor Market Square. Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg (formerly Bloomsburg University) sits on Turkey Hill to the north. Employment centers on healthcare, higher education, and manufacturing, with Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital and the university as the largest employers, alongside manufacturers in plastics, thermoplastics, and architectural products. The area has experienced modest population decline over the past decade and uneven housing growth, with new single-family construction concentrated at the town's edges rather than downtown.
A significant development for families in the district is the launch in 2025-2026 of Communities In Schools of Pennsylvania at the school level, placing full-time site coordinators inside the building to address basic needs, mental health, and family connections to resources. This is the first CIS program in Columbia County and represents a structural addition to student support that parents considering the school should be aware of.
Housing in the Bloomsburg zip code is relatively affordable compared to state and national medians, with monthly mortgage and rental costs that are below national benchmarks. The local economy has been shaped by long-running industrial closures, most notably the end of fabric manufacturing at Bloomsburg Mills after many decades, though small business, downtown revitalization efforts, and the university continue to provide civic anchors. For families drawn to a small-town setting with a walkable downtown and college-town character, Bloomsburg offers that environment; for those seeking robust academic performance across all subjects from the start, the data on math and reading proficiency would warrant a conversation with school leadership.
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