The top reported proficiency rate is 83% in Science. The lowest is 57% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Mt Vernon El Sch
Mt Vernon Elementary serves grades three through five in McKeesport, a small Rust Belt city south of Pittsburgh that has shaped itself around healthcare and institutional anchors after the decline of steel manufacturing. The school sits in a community of about a hundred and ninety-nine students overall, with a stable enrollment split across the three grades.
The school's academic performance places it above the midpoint among districts in Allegheny County on overall proficiency. In math, about three in five students scored at proficient or above on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. English language arts proficiency ran slightly lower, with a little more than half of students reaching proficient levels. Science results, from the prior year, were notably stronger, with about five out of six students proficient. This variation across subjects is worth noting: the school shows relative strength in science while math and literacy sit at middling levels for the region.
Roughly half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic strain common to this part of Allegheny County. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of multiracial, Hispanic, and Black students, and one Asian student. The school does not report special education or English learner enrollment, leaving those figures unavailable.
The community context matters here. McKeesport itself has endured decades of population loss since National Tube Works shuttered. The downtown corridor on Fifth Avenue remains largely vacant, though some foot traffic clusters around Walnut Street chain stores and local bars. Renziehausen Park, a large municipal park with trails, a rose garden, and summer events, anchors civic life. UPMC McKeesport hospital and Penn State Greater Allegheny are the major employers now; light manufacturing and steel services remain but at much-reduced scale. Housing here is very affordable, with median home values and rental costs well below both state and national benchmarks, making the area accessible to families stretched thin economically.
A critical change is unfolding for this school. In November 2025 the school board voted to advance Phase Two of a high school construction project that will close three elementary buildings, including Mt Vernon. Older elementary students will transfer to the middle school, younger ones to Central Elementary. This closure will reshape which building children attend, alter busing patterns, and reconfigure classrooms across much of the district. Families currently at Mt Vernon should expect a transition within the next few years and will need to confirm timelines and receiving schools directly with Elizabeth Forward School District. The district is simultaneously rebuilding Elizabeth Forward High School after a major 2023 fire, a nearly decade-long project financed through two recent bonds.
State testing data were available for grades three through five only, as those are the grades the state assesses at this level. A graduation rate does not apply to an elementary school. Special education and English learner counts were not reported; parents may want to ask the school directly about services in those areas.
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