The top reported proficiency rate is 97% in Science. The lowest is 46% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Woodland El Sch
Woodland Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Emporium, a small Pennsylvania borough nestled in a mountain valley and serving as the Cameron County seat. The school enrolls a modest population of students, with enrollment spread fairly evenly across the grade band, slightly larger in sixth grade.
The student body is predominantly white, with small numbers of Hispanic and Asian students and a few students of multiple races. All students at Woodland qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of economic need that reflects the broader economic context of Emporium and Cameron County. The region has experienced long-term population decline rather than growth. Housing values in the area are well below state and national benchmarks, and the local job base, while anchored by the school district itself and state government, centers on manufacturing, healthcare, and rural services.
In state assessments, Woodland's performance is mixed. In math, roughly half of students in grades three through six score at proficiency or above. In English language arts, the proficiency rate falls below half. Science results, drawn from the prior school year, show substantially stronger performance, with a large majority of tested students meeting proficiency. The science cohort was notably smaller, so that strength cannot be assumed to hold uniformly. The school does not serve grades tested for high school accountability.
The school is a regular public elementary school, not a charter or magnet. It sits on Woodland Avenue in Emporium proper. Emporium itself is a walkable, compact downtown with historic brick storefronts, locally owned shops, public art murals, and civic anchors like the library and chamber office clustered within the small grid. The West Creek Trail connects the borough to nearby St. Marys. Civic life is oriented around this small center rather than a suburban campus environment.
No recent major district-level initiatives or changes were found in available sources, and data on staffing, attendance, discipline, or special education rates were not available. For families in Emporium seeking an elementary school rooted in the community with accessible neighborhood scale, Woodland is the district option. The proficiency profile suggests that parent support for reading and math at home, as well as close communication with the school, would be valuable. A parent may want to ask the school directly about interventions, small-group instruction, and what resources exist for students not yet at grade level in literacy and numeracy.
See more original research from School Decision →