The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Science. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Perry El Sch
Perry Elementary School is a small public school in Erie serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Families moving to the area or already here will find a student body where all families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a substantial diversity of race and ethnicity, and proficiency results that are well below what most districts in Erie County are achieving on state tests.
The school enrolled a small population of students spread fairly evenly across its grade band. The demographics tell a particular story: students are distributed across white, Black, and students identifying as two or more races at substantial rates, with smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, and Native American students. This composition reflects the older residential neighborhoods surrounding downtown Erie, which the school serves.
On Pennsylvania's System of School Assessment in math, the proficiency rate was low. In English language arts, it was similarly low. Science results, measured most recently in the prior school year, showed a higher proficiency rate, though the testing pool for science was smaller. When those results are averaged together against the districts across Erie County, Perry sits in the bottom quartile on overall proficiency. A parent may want to look into further detail with the school about what support structures exist for students working below proficiency and what the pathway looks like for families seeking additional academic help.
The school operates within Erie City School District, which has faced financial pressure tied to the wind-down of federal COVID relief funds and what district leadership describes as chronic state underfunding. The district has raised property taxes in three consecutive years as part of a five-year balanced-budget plan, and families should expect this trajectory to continue unless state funding changes. Additionally, the school board recently directed the superintendent to study whether to reverse a consolidation that made Erie High School the city's sole comprehensive high school, with overcrowding cited as a driver. This review signals possible structural changes to the district's grade configuration that could affect which buildings students attend in future years.
Perry sits on West 29th Street in the older residential neighborhood northwest of downtown. The neighborhood itself is walkable in pockets, though Erie County beyond downtown is largely car-oriented. The city's population has been shrinking over the past decade, though downtown has been experiencing reinvestment through mixed-use development and historic renovation led by local nonprofits. Median home values in the area are below state and national benchmarks, and rental costs are comparatively modest, making this a lower-cost housing market even as the region faces long-term population headwinds.
This school serves a population with significant economic need and is positioned within a district managing both structural transitions and budget constraints. The low test proficiency suggests families should understand the academic support landscape and what each child's own needs and learning style would require here.
See more original research from School Decision →