The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in Science. The lowest is 6% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Foose Sch
Foose School is a small elementary school in Harrisburg serving kindergarten through fifth grade. The school's enrollment sits just over five hundred students, with a demographic makeup that is roughly evenly split between Hispanic and Black students, with smaller Asian and multiracial populations and very few white students. All students at Foose qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the neighborhood the school serves.
Academic performance at Foose is significantly below the countywide benchmark. On the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment for grades three through five, proficiency in math is very low, with only a small fraction of students scoring at proficient or advanced levels. English language arts proficiency is also low, though notably higher than math. Science proficiency data from the prior year showed somewhat stronger performance, with about a third of tested students meeting proficiency standards. Relative to other districts in Dauphin County, Foose's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile. These results reflect deep challenges in student learning that extend across the elementary years and multiple subject areas.
The school is part of Harrisburg City School District, which recently underwent structural and operational changes that shape the context in which Foose operates. In June 2025, the district exited state receivership for the first time in Pennsylvania history, returning full governance to an elected school board after years of state control. The district is now in a five-year monitoring phase, which will influence budgeting and program decisions going forward. Simultaneously, the district completed a major reconfiguration that moved elementary students into new attendance zones and consolidated middle schoolers into two schools, though this affects students beyond the elementary grades Foose serves.
The district has launched a new corrective reading program at the elementary level in response to persistent gaps in literacy, which is directly relevant to Foose and students like those it serves. Property taxes are increasing after years of flat rates; the 2025-26 budget included the first tax hike in several years, with officials signaling that further increases are expected. Families buying into Harrisburg should anticipate continuing annual school tax pressure as the district manages the end of federal pandemic funds and declining assessed property values.
Harrisburg itself is a state capital and downtown-centered city anchored by government employment, mixed-use development, and a growing arts district. The housing market is described as a seller's market with limited inventory, and median home values are below the state benchmark. The city has launched an affordable housing development fund, and downtown development by Harristown Development Corporation continues to add residential options. A parent considering Foose should recognize that the school serves a neighborhood with very high poverty, that the district is in a transition year following receivership, and that academic achievement is substantially below county norms. At the same time, the corrective reading initiative signals the district's focus on improving early literacy outcomes, and the school offers a stable setting for younger elementary students in the city.
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