The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Science. The lowest is 31% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Hanover Area Memorial El Sch
Hanover Area Memorial Elementary serves grades five and six in Hanover Township, Luzerne County, drawing from a school district in the middle of a structural transformation. The school sits in an economically working community where a substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body reflects the region's demographic mix: roughly half white, with meaningful shares of Hispanic and Black students, plus smaller numbers of students from other backgrounds.
The school's test results show uneven performance across subjects. In English language arts, proficiency falls below the midpoint. Math proficiency is notably lower. Science performance is stronger, placing the school in the top quartile relative to other districts in Luzerne County when all tested subjects are averaged together. This mixed picture means families should ask the school directly about the approaches being used to address the gap in reading and math while building on what is working in science. The school does not report data on students with IEPs or English learners, which is typical at the elementary level in this state.
The broader context for Hanover Area families is one of significant change. In 2023 the district reconfigured its elementary grade alignments, moving students across buildings. More substantially, the district has just approved a plan to consolidate its four aging neighborhood elementary schools—including Memorial—into a single new Pre-K–6 building on the grounds of a renovated industrial-park property. Students are expected to move to this new facility within the coming year. The plan marks the end of the neighborhood-school model that has defined elementary education here for generations. Memorial itself will be repurposed as a STEM academy for grades seven through twelve.
This consolidation is paired with a significant funding shift. The district was identified as among the most underfunded in the state and is now receiving substantially increased state aid over a multiyear period, reducing the reliance on local property taxes that have historically been among the county's highest. That financial breathing room is enabling the capital investment in new facilities.
The township itself is a working-class, auto-oriented suburban landscape made up of small villages and quiet residential neighborhoods, anchored economically by industrial estates and business parks along the Sans Souci Parkway corridor rather than by a traditional downtown. Housing values are modest relative to national benchmarks. Outdoor life centers on the Susquehanna River, trail systems, and nearby state forest rather than walkable main-street amenities. The broader region draws on Wilkes-Barre as its civic center.
For families enrolling here now, the immediate reality is a school in transition: Memorial is serving grades five and six but will cease to exist as an elementary school within a year or so. Whether that disruption is manageable depends on family circumstances and comfort with change. The school's academic profile shows where support is needed most, particularly in foundational reading and math, even as science instruction appears to be working well. A parent may want to look into the school's specific literacy and numeracy interventions, as well as how the transition plan is being communicated to students and families.
See more original research from School Decision →