The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Science. The lowest is 35% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Bushkill El Sch
Bushkill Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Dingmans Ferry, a rural unincorporated community in Pike County nestled along the Delaware River in the Pocono Mountains. The school is part of East Stroudsburg Area School District, which spans Dingmans Ferry and East Stroudsburg.
The enrollment sits at around four hundred students across six grades, with about half of families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is racially and ethnically mixed, with white students making up the largest share, followed by substantial percentages of Black students, students of two or more races, and smaller percentages of Hispanic and American Indian students. The school's demographics reflect both the local residential population and broader patterns of students drawn to the district from across Pike County.
On the most recent Pennsylvania state assessments in math and English language arts, the school's proficiency rates sit in the lower range. About one in three students achieved proficiency in math, while about two in five did so in reading. Science assessment results from the prior year stood notably higher, with more than four in five students proficient. The school sits in the top quartile among Pike County districts when proficiency rates across tested subjects are averaged together, though this reflects its standing within a small comparison group of only two districts in the county.
The locale is not walkable or pedestrian-oriented. Dingmans Ferry is entirely car-dependent, spread across forested private residential communities and rural roads with no commercial downtown or civic center. Daily life centers on the nearby Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, which offers hiking, water access, and outdoor recreation. The township building and school facilities sit on separate campuses rather than in any village core; indeed, the original riverside village was incorporated into the national recreation area in the mid-twentieth century, leaving no historic downtown. Most employment in the area comes from small local business, public services, or tourism-related work; many residents commute or work remotely.
Pike County grew very rapidly for decades but has slowed considerably. The township's current population has stabilized, and most new residential growth occurs within existing private lake-community subdivisions because the surrounding land is protected as national recreation area. Home values in the area are somewhat below state and national benchmarks, and monthly mortgage costs are lower than typical for Pennsylvania. About half of households qualify for federal lunch assistance, reflecting moderate to lower median household income in the service area.
The East Stroudsburg Area School District itself faces significant structural headwinds. It received substantial state tax equity funding in 2024, the largest such supplement awarded in Pennsylvania that year, which helps offset property tax burden. However, the district is in the midst of a feasibility study examining options to address declining enrollment and aging buildings, with proposals ranging from consolidating the two high schools into one to potentially selling an elementary school. For 2024-25, the district launched a co-teaching pilot in kindergarten through second grade pairing special education and general education teachers in the same classroom, a model it plans to expand in 2025-26. These district-level shifts mean families should expect possible changes to school boundaries and instructional structure in coming years.
A parent evaluating Bushkill Elementary should understand it as a rural, mixed-income community school with lower proficiency in reading and math but stronger science performance, situated in a car-dependent mountain setting with no urban amenities. The school sits within a district navigating enrollment decline and significant facility decisions, making it worthwhile to check directly with the school about any near-term impacts to the student experience. For families drawn to outdoor recreation, small-town living, and lower housing costs, the setting aligns with those preferences; those seeking walkable neighborhoods or proximity to urban employment centers would find this location constraining.
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