The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in Science. The lowest is 24% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Caln El Sch
Caln Elementary is a public elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Thorndale, a census-designated place in Caln Township, Chester County. The school is part of the Coatesville Area School District, which recently restructured its grade configurations district-wide, moving sixth through eighth grades into middle schools and adjusting transition points for all students in the system.
The school sits within a suburban, car-oriented community centered on U.S. Route 30 Business (Lincoln Highway). Thorndale is growing as part of western Chester County's broader residential expansion, anchored by transit access via the SEPTA Paoli/Thorndale Line, which has driven new single-family home and townhome construction in the area. The community has a mix of Colonial Revival homes, split-level houses, and apartment complexes; most residents own their homes. A SEPTA commuter rail station serves the area and connects riders to Philadelphia and points west.
The housing market in Thorndale's zip code is moderately above state benchmarks, with median home values in the upper range and typical monthly rent around the state average. Families should note that the Coatesville Area School District has raised its property tax rate for the current school year, a reflection of ongoing budget pressures the district is managing, including costs for charter and cyber-charter tuition. This tax increase is relevant to the total cost of living in the area.
Caln Elementary serves roughly a mid-sized enrollment for its grade span, distributed fairly evenly across six grades. The school population is economically challenged: all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The racial and ethnic composition is diverse, with no single group forming a majority; the student body is roughly evenly split among white, Black, and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of students identifying as two or more races and very small shares of Asian and Native American students.
On recent state assessments, proficiency rates are low. In math and English language arts (based on 2024-25 results for grades 3-8), fewer than one in three students met proficiency benchmarks in either subject. Science proficiency, measured most recently in 2023-24, was higher at about half of students proficient, though that data comes from a smaller tested group. Compared to other school districts in Chester County, Caln Elementary's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. The gap between current performance and grade-level expectations is substantial, and a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand what academic support is in place, whether the school has identified root causes, and what interventions or resources are being deployed to move proficiency upward.
Because the school serves only early elementary and elementary grades, state graduation rate data do not apply. The school does not report separate data on students with individualized education plans or English learners, so the extent of those populations and related services is not visible in available data.
The district's recent grade reconfiguration means families should also prepare for multiple transition points as students move through K-12. After fifth grade at Caln Elementary, students will move to middle schools (North Brandywine or Scott, both in nearby Coatesville), then to the intermediate high school for grades 9-10, and finally to the senior high school for grades 11-12. This structure differs from what some families may have experienced elsewhere and represents a change the district made to its entire K-12 pathway.
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