The top reported proficiency rate is 80% in Science. The lowest is 23% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Stewart El Sch
Stewart Elementary School serves fourth and fifth graders in Lower Burrell, a residential suburban community about 18 miles northeast of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County. The school closed at the end of the 2024-25 school year. Fourth graders now attend Bon Air Elementary, and fifth graders have moved to Charles A. Huston Middle School, a reconfiguration that alters the familiar grade structure families in this district had known.
The school's academic performance shows uneven results. In science, measured most recently, performance was strong, with a substantial share of students meeting proficiency. Math proficiency was moderate, falling near the midpoint of performance in other Westmoreland County districts. English language arts proficiency was considerably lower, with less than a quarter of students meeting the standard. When proficiency rates across all tested subjects are averaged together, Stewart's overall index sits above the midpoint among county districts, meaning the school's blend of results places it in the stronger half of its peer group, though the ELA gap warrants attention from the school and families alike.
The enrollment was small, drawing roughly evenly split groups of fourth and fifth graders. Student demographics are predominantly white, with substantial representation of families of modest means: a noteworthy share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. These economic and demographic details reflect Lower Burrell itself, a community shaped by the decline of heavy industry but experiencing modest steady growth since the early 1990s. Housing costs have risen sharply in the past year; the median home price has climbed noticeably year over year. Rents are moderate, and both are affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, though property taxes are rising steeply and now constitute the highest millage rate in Westmoreland County.
Because Stewart has closed, families with children moving into fourth or fifth grade will enroll in different schools. The shift to a fourth-grade placement at Bon Air and fifth-grade placement at Huston Middle School, where fifth graders will experience career-connected "studios" organized around five broad career pathways instead of traditional electives, represents a substantial change in the learning environment and school experience. Families considering Lower Burrell should factor in this reconfiguration, the sharp property tax increases the district has implemented across consecutive years, and the planned additional bond debt in 2026, which will continue to affect household costs and the district's financial trajectory for years ahead.
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