The top reported proficiency rate is 77% in Science. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Middle Smithfield El Sch
Middle Smithfield Elementary is a kindergarten through fifth-grade school in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, serving a student body marked by economic need and racial diversity. The school enrolls students across six grade levels, with a substantial share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch and a student composition that reflects the broader demographic character of Monroe County: roughly one-third white, one-quarter Black, one-fifth multiracial, and smaller shares Asian, Hispanic, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian.
Academic performance at Middle Smithfield presents a mixed picture. The school's strength lies in science, where proficiency is substantially above the midpoint on state measures. In English language arts and math, however, proficiency trails meaningfully. Among the tested grades, fewer than one-third of students met proficiency in math and about one-third in ELA. On the overall proficiency index, the school places in the top quartile relative to other districts in Monroe County, a positioning that reflects that science strength lifting the school's aggregate results even as the ELA and math numbers indicate where most classroom attention will likely need to focus.
State testing data covers grades three through eight only; the school also serves kindergarten through grade two, for which state assessments do not apply. The school has no graduation rate because it does not serve high school grades. Participation rates and average scale scores for ELA and math were not available in the state data.
East Stroudsburg itself is a Pocono borough anchored by a historic downtown with shops, restaurants, and cultural venues, as well as by East Stroudsburg University and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, the area's major employers. The borough is in a growth phase: home prices are rising, new subdivisions are under construction, and the hospital is in the midst of a significant expansion. The area has active recreation including Dansbury Park with a public pool, ball fields, and courts, and the Levee Loop Trail provides a multi-mile walkable route through the region. Public transit via the Pocono Pony bus service and Martz Trailways connects residents to regional destinations.
The district that runs Middle Smithfield, East Stroudsburg Area, faces structural pressures that affect the school's long-term context. Enrollment across the district is declining, and the district is conducting a feasibility study that includes options to consolidate high schools and potentially close elementary buildings. The district did, however, receive substantial recent state tax equity funding, the largest such supplement awarded in Pennsylvania in 2024, which provides recurring revenue that reduces reliance on local property taxes. At the primary level, the district piloted a co-teaching model in grades K-2 beginning in 2024-25, pairing special education and general education teachers in shared classrooms across all subjects, and plans to expand this approach in 2025-26. That pedagogy shift would be relevant for families choosing between this school and others, as it changes how early instruction is delivered.
Housing costs in the area are moderate compared to national benchmarks. Parents considering the school would likely want to discuss the trajectory of those feasibility-study restructuring plans directly with the district to understand how they might affect where students attend school and the timeline for any changes.
See more original research from School Decision →