The top reported proficiency rate is 62% in Science. The lowest is 28% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Grover Cleveland El Sch
Grover Cleveland Elementary serves pre-K through fifth grade in Erie City School District. The school enrolls a small-to-medium student body drawn from a cross-section of Erie's residential neighborhoods. All students in the school qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which reflects both the school's location in an economically stretched district and the composition of its enrollment: about half of students are white, with substantial shares identifying as multiracial, Black, or Asian, and smaller numbers identifying as Hispanic or Native American. The school sits on West 38th Street on the city's west side.
State test results show a school working through real academic challenges in core subjects. In mathematics and English language arts, proficiency rates in grades 3 through 5 sit in the lower range. Math proficiency is roughly a third of students meeting state standards; English language arts is somewhat lower. Science proficiency, measured most recently, sits notably higher at around three-fifths of students. The proficiency index across all tested subjects places the school in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Erie County. This is the plain data; a parent considering the school should ask the principal directly about reading and math supports in place for students who are not yet meeting grade-level expectations, and about any targeted interventions or small-group instruction the school uses.
The school is not a choice or magnet school. It is a regular neighborhood public school in a district that is itself under real financial pressure. Erie City School District has raised property taxes for three consecutive years to close gaps left by the wind-down of pandemic relief funding and what district leaders call a state funding shortfall. That trajectory is expected to continue absent state action. The district is also reconsidering its grade structure; in early 2026 the board directed the superintendent to study whether to undo a prior consolidation that funneled all high-school students into one building, citing overcrowding. That study does not affect this elementary school, but it signals a district in motion and a community where school capacity and resource decisions are shifting.
Erie itself is a mid-sized lakefront city with a manufacturing and insurance base. Downtown sits on the waterfront with civic anchors including Perry Square and the Presque Isle Bayfront Promenade. Older residential neighborhoods ring the center, characterized by close-set 19th-century houses. The housing market here is more affordable than the state or national median; a family buying in the area would typically spend less on mortgage than rent, though property values have been rising modestly year over year. The city's overall population has declined over decades, though downtown development has accelerated in recent years.
Families in this school's zone should understand what they are choosing: a elementary school where proficiency in reading and math lags the county average, embedded in a financially stressed district managing cuts and asking difficult questions about its own structure. At the same time, Grover Cleveland is a neighborhood school with real community ties, and families who value walkable access to schools and shops in older residential areas may find it suits their situation. A direct conversation with the school about its specific supports for students reading and solving problems below grade level will be essential for any family with young children who may need extra help.
See more original research from School Decision →