The top reported proficiency rate is 58% in Science. The lowest is 34% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on North Star East Ms
North Star East MS serves grades five through eight in Stoystown, a small rural borough in Somerset County's Johnstown metropolitan area. The school sits on Whistler Road, adjacent to the historic core of a linear Main Street town that peaked during the early twentieth-century Lincoln Highway era. The borough itself is very small and has remained roughly stable in population; it is designated as a historic district with strong preservation of mid-nineteenth and early twentieth-century buildings. The wider region is economically modest. Housing values in the area are well below state and national benchmarks, and the entire school's enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school's enrollment is small, with roughly a hundred or so students per grade. The student body is overwhelmingly white; essentially all other racial and ethnic groups are either absent or represented by single-digit counts. Data on special education and English learner populations were not available.
On state testing, the school's performance is mixed. In English language arts, proficiency sits at a level roughly in the middle of the range statewide. Science proficiency, measured most recently, was also in the middle band. Math proficiency, however, is notably lower, sitting well below the state typical level. Among the county's districts, North Star East MS places above the midpoint in overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, which reflects stronger absolute performance in reading and science that pulls up the average despite the math weakness.
The school faces significant structural change ahead. The North Star School District is consolidating its buildings after decades of enrollment decline. The middle school building, where North Star East MS currently operates, is scheduled to close. Seventh and eighth graders will move to the high school campus in Boswell after the 2025-26 school year, and fifth and sixth graders will transfer to the elementary school, also in Boswell, once renovations and additions are completed there. This consolidation means families choosing the district should expect that their child's school building and location will shift as the child ages through these grades. The district has raised property tax rates to finance the multi-million-dollar capital project and has indicated that continued upward pressure on millage is anticipated over the coming years, so a family buying into the district should be prepared for escalating school taxes tied to this consolidation effort.
State assessment data do not break out participation or average scale scores for this school, so parents may want to look into further detail with the school on where students performing below proficiency are concentrating and what support pathways exist for students struggling in math. The very small size and composition of the school, combined with the impending move, mean that continuity of peer relationships and programming will be shaped by these transitions.
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