The top reported proficiency rate is 92% in Science. The lowest is 55% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hickory Grove El Sch
Hickory Grove Elementary serves grades three through six in Brookville, a small borough in Jefferson County centered on a preserved Victorian Main Street about seventy miles northeast of Pittsburgh. The school is part of the Brookville Area School District, which recently voted to close a separate primary school and build an addition to Hickory Grove to consolidate first and second grades into the building as well, reshaping the district's footprint from four schools to three.
The school's current enrollment is small, about four hundred thirty students across the four grade bands it serves. All students qualify for free and reduced-price meals; this reflects both the school's actual economic composition and the district's recent adoption of the Community Eligibility Provision, which makes breakfast and lunch free for every student in the school without application. The student body is predominantly white, with very small representation of other racial and ethnic groups.
Academic proficiency on Pennsylvania assessments shows strength in science, with a substantial majority of tested students meeting proficiency standards. Reading proficiency is closer to a slight majority. Math proficiency sits at about half. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Jefferson County, a positioning that reflects solid ground relative to the immediate peer set. State testing data for prior years was not available to determine whether these results represent change or consistency. Specific data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not reported.
Brookville itself has population decline in recent years and a housing stock dominated by pre-World War II structures; the median home value in the area is below the state benchmark. The borough has invested in downtown revitalization and tourism, with civic anchors including the Rebecca M. Arthurs Memorial Library and a restored Main Street anchoring community life. Major employers in the region span health care, manufacturing, and retail. The 2025-26 budget cycle brought the district's first significant property-tax increase in several years, shifting from an occupation-based assessment to a real estate tax, a change that alters whose wallet feels it.
The addition of grades one and two to Hickory Grove in coming years will substantially reshape this building, increasing its size and age range served. A parent considering this school should clarify with the district the timing and logistics of that transition, and what it will mean for classroom space, daily routines, and peer composition as the building grows.
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