The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in English language arts. The lowest is 42% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hartman Intrmd Sch
Hartman Intermediate School serves grades five and six in Ellwood City, a small borough in western Pennsylvania about thirty miles northwest of Pittsburgh. The school enrolls students from a community with deep manufacturing roots, now experiencing modest downtown redevelopment and attracting some new residents from pricier suburbs seeking affordable housing.
The school's enrollment is small for its grade band, with a majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Student composition is predominantly white, with small numbers of students of color. The school's primary enrollment consists of the school-age population from Ellwood City itself, which has seen gradual population decline over decades but retains a strong civic texture centered on a walkable downtown with active community programming.
On state testing, Hartman's proficiency in English language arts is closer to where most intermediate schools stand, though mathematics proficiency lags. In math, less than half of tested students reached proficiency on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment; in ELA, the share approached three-fifths. Against other districts in Lawrence County, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint among its county peers, a meaningful position but not at the upper range. The district's comprehensive plan, adopted for 2023-2026, aims to rewrite math curriculum, expand math support staffing, and realign ELA instruction to state standards, with the intention of lifting scores over time. That work is still underway.
The broader Ellwood City Area School District faces budget pressures. In late 2025, the board authorized general obligation bonds for capital improvements to this school and North Side Elementary, projects that will carry debt service costs into district budgets and drive property tax increases for 2026-2027 onward. The district has raised taxes annually since 2021 to manage special education costs, expenses for students attending cyber charters, and existing debt. A parent or resident considering the area should be aware that school funding and property taxes are in an upward cycle tied to long-term capital commitments.
The district approved significant curriculum changes in early 2024, increasing high school graduation requirements and adding communications as a required course, changes that ripple through the whole secondary system. Looking ahead to next school year, the district plans to restrict cell phone and personal electronic device use during the school day, a shift to classroom environment that will take effect across all buildings.
Hartman sits within a town that mixes older residential neighborhoods on rolling hills with a compact, pedestrian-focused downtown. Housing is affordable relative to surrounding Pittsburgh suburbs, and home prices here have risen faster than the county average in recent years. Families choosing Ellwood City often cite lower costs and a slower pace of life. State testing data for middle grades exists, allowing comparison with the district's performance goals, but data on chronic absenteeism, special education enrollment, and English learner enrollment were not available for this school. The school operates as a regular public school embedded in the community rather than on a campus setting, typical of small-town districts in the region.
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