The top reported proficiency rate is 86% in Science. The lowest is 49% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Conewago Valley Intrmd Sch
Conewago Valley Intermediate School serves grades four through six in New Oxford, a small Adams County borough known for its antique shops, historic downtown, and manufacturing-based economy. The school is part of a small district centered in the borough, with a campus structure that keeps elementary, intermediate, middle, and high grades within walking distance of downtown.
The school enrolls a moderate-sized population for its grade band, roughly evenly split among the three grades it serves. About half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community with mixed income levels. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful Hispanic population and small numbers of other groups represented.
On state testing, the school shows uneven performance across subjects. In science, proficiency is notably strong. In math and English language arts, proficiency sits below the midpoint, with roughly half of students meeting standards in each. When all tested subjects and grades are averaged together, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Adams County, a meaningful strength given the county comparison set.
The intermediate grades in this district sit within a landscape of major change. The district passed a budget for 2025-26 that raised property tax rates to fund two elementary school construction projects. New Oxford Elementary, which feeds into this intermediate school, has a maximum project cost of roughly a quarter-million dollars with construction targeted for completion by August 2028. For families considering a move into New Oxford or the surrounding Conewago Valley area, this means both the immediate property tax increase and years of ongoing debt service on school bonds will factor into housing costs.
New Oxford itself is a walkable town with a restored downtown centered on Center Square, where boutique shops, restaurants, and community events anchor daily life. The borough is essentially built out; new residential construction is occurring in surrounding townships within the same school district. Manufacturing plants including food processing, paper products, and other facilities employ a significant portion of the local workforce alongside the school district itself. The town sits about ten miles from Gettysburg and twenty miles from York, with U.S. Route 30 running through the middle, connecting residents to nearby employment and services.
Housing values in the zip code have risen, with median home values climbing in recent years and rents rising as well, indicating a tightening market. The area's affordability relative to national benchmarks remains modest, and mortgage costs are material for buyers entering the market. For families weighing the intermediate school experience here, the combination of modest baseline test results in math and language arts alongside strong science proficiency, the grade-band size and composition, and the active construction and tax environment in the district are all factors to weigh directly with the school.
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