The top reported proficiency rate is 95% in Science. The lowest is 75% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Clark El Sch
Clark Elementary serves grades kindergarten through sixth across a single campus in the Depot Road area of Erie, Pennsylvania. The school enrolls a small-to-mid-sized student body that is predominantly white, with a sizable share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. About two-fifths of the student body participates in that federal meal program, a measure that often correlates with broader economic conditions in the school's attendance area.
State testing data from the past two years shows solid academic performance in math and English language arts. In math, proficiency among grades three through six sits well above the midpoint of what Erie County districts report; in English language arts, performance is also above the county median. Science proficiency, measured in the prior year, is exceptionally high. Overall, Clark's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among Erie County's school districts, meaning it outperforms the majority of comparable schools in the county. This is a genuine strength: the school is delivering measurable reading, writing, and math skills to most students, with science instruction that reaches nearly all of them.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter or specialized program, and operates within the Harbor Creek School District. The district serves several communities in the greater Erie area and has recently undertaken a multi-year renovation and addition project at its junior and senior high school, begun in spring of 2025 and expected to extend through 2027 or 2028. That secondary-campus work will not directly affect Clark Elementary's building or operations, but families moving into the district should know the district is in an active capital investment cycle. The district also raised its property tax millage for the 2023-24 budget, a recurring cost that carries forward into subsequent years, so housing costs in the district include both mortgage or rent and a higher tax obligation than some neighboring districts.
Erie itself is a mid-sized lakefront city with a mixed local economy anchored in manufacturing, insurance, and healthcare. The city has experienced population decline over the past two decades, though downtown and the bayfront are in a sustained reinvestment phase led by mixed-use development. The broader regional context includes Gannon University, UPMC and other healthcare facilities, and major employers in manufacturing and insurance. Walk scores vary: downtown and immediate neighborhoods are somewhat to highly walkable, but much of Erie County beyond that is car-oriented.
Clark Elementary's grade span means state testing results are limited to grades three through six. Kindergarten, first, and second graders are not assessed by Pennsylvania's state system, so no formal proficiency data exists for those grades, which is typical across all schools serving early grades. The school does not report separate data on special education enrollment or English learner enrollment, so a parent interested in those programs may want to look into further detail with the school directly. The school also does not report a graduation rate, which is expected because elementary schools do not award high school diplomas.
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