Original Research by School Decision on Cedar Crest Hs
Cedar Crest High School sits in Lebanon, a small city in southeastern Pennsylvania that has recently become a destination for people relocating from more saturated neighboring counties seeking affordability and a quieter pace. The school serves a mid-sized enrollment across grades nine through twelve in the Cornwall-Lebanon School District, which encompasses both Lebanon and the surrounding townships.
The student body reflects the region's demographic composition: a majority white enrollment with a substantial Hispanic population and smaller populations of Asian, Black, and multiracial students. A notable share of students—nearly half—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating economic diversity in the school community. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations were not provided. Pennsylvania state assessment results and graduation rates were not available in the data, so a parent cannot see how Cedar Crest's academic performance compares to other schools in the county on standardized measures. That gap reflects the nature of school-level data reporting in Pennsylvania, where certain accountability metrics are not always publicly reported at the individual school level.
The school is embedded in a district undergoing substantial capital investment. Cedar Crest High School is in the midst of a multi-phase campus renovation expected to be substantially complete by spring 2028. A new Falcon Connector building featuring classrooms was completed and unveiled in fall 2025, and the district has approved bonding for further stadium renovations and campus improvements. Families should understand that this construction will shape the physical environment and student experience for the next couple of years, though the investment signals the district's commitment to the facility.
That capital work comes alongside rising property taxes. The district approved a tax increase for the 2024-25 school year, followed by another for 2025-26, with a further increase proposed for 2026-27. These are successive years of meaningful tax movement, and prospective families relocating to the district should factor this trajectory into housing affordability calculations. The median home value in the Lebanon ZIP code sits slightly below the state average and well below the national average, and rental costs remain modest relative to income, but the property tax trajectory is a real cost factor that offsets some of the area's initial affordability appeal.
Lebanon itself is growing and repositioning. The city is among the fastest-growing in the region as people move from costlier Lancaster and Berks Counties. Downtown has been the focus of revitalization efforts including a streetscape project completed in spring 2025 that rebuilt sidewalks, lighting, and pedestrian infrastructure along Cumberland Street. A new City Hall opened downtown in 2022. The Lebanon Farmers Market operates in the restored Market House, and WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital anchors the local economy. Public transit runs ten bus routes plus express service to Harrisburg and Lancaster from a downtown hub.
The enrollment is relatively stable across grade levels, suggesting a steady pipeline through the school. The school is a regular public school with no specialized magnet or charter designation, so it serves the comprehensive secondary population of the district. Program information was not provided, so a parent would want to contact the school directly or visit its website to understand the range of courses, AP offerings, career pathways, and extracurricular activities available.
Cedar Crest High School exists in a community and district in motion—growing, investing in facilities, and raising taxes to support operations. The peer environment is economically and ethnically mixed. Academic performance data at the school level is not publicly available, so a prospective family cannot compare Cedar Crest directly to other high schools in the county on standardized measures or graduation outcomes. A parent should request that information directly from the district office or the school.
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