The top reported proficiency rate is 89% in Science. The lowest is 64% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Coudersport Area El Sch
Coudersport Area Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in a small north-central Pennsylvania borough that anchors Potter County as its seat. The school draws from a town whose population has been flat and whose economy centers on the hospital system and rural public services, giving the enrollment a distinctly local, economically stressed character.
Nearly all students in the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a ratio that reflects deep poverty in the surrounding area. The student body is predominantly white, with small Hispanic, multiracial, and Black populations. The school is small for its grade band, with modest enrollment across all seven grades from kindergarten through sixth.
On state assessments in spring 2025, the school's math proficiency for grades three through six sat at just under two-thirds, and English language arts proficiency at just under two-thirds as well. In science, tested only at grade four in the most recent available year, the school performed much more strongly, with proficiency in the high range. The two core subjects show performance below the midpoint of what other districts in Potter County reported, placing the school outside the top performers in the county, though science suggests capacity for stronger results in particular domains.
The housing market in Coudersport itself is modest. Home values are substantially below both the state and national benchmarks, and monthly mortgage costs remain affordable relative to household income. The owner-occupied stock is older, dominated by single-family homes in the borough and ranches and manufactured homes in surrounding townships. Multi-family options are limited. New construction has been sparse; the town's downtown footprint has changed little since the mid-1800s.
The district itself has held its local property tax rate flat in recent years and completed a building project without increasing debt service, meaning families can expect tax stability. In November 2025, the district adopted a new student cell phone policy, a direct change to classroom norms that parents should review if device use in school matters to them.
The elementary school sits on the edge of the borough rather than downtown, near civic anchors like the Coudersport Public Library and the recreation park. Families here tend to live car-dependent lives; walkability is highest in the compact historic core, but most commuting is by private vehicle. State testing data for special education and English learner populations was not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those services.
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