The top reported proficiency rate is 42% in Science. The lowest is 14% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Heights Terrace El/ms
Heights Terrace El/MS serves kindergarten through eighth grade in Hazleton, a small city in Luzerne County where a large Latino population, predominantly from the Dominican Republic, has reshaped the community since the early 2000s. The school enrolls roughly a modest-sized cohort drawn almost entirely from low-income households; essentially all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly Latino with a small white minority. The school sits within a district that has grown substantially in recent years and is investing in new facilities and school-choice options, including a cyber academy and arts academy that opened in 2023 and a new elementary building under construction to address enrollment growth.
On state assessments, Heights Terrace shows weak performance in math and English language arts and moderate performance in science. In the most recent testing year reported for math and ELA across grades three through eight, proficiency rates were low. Science results from the prior year were notably higher. The school's overall proficiency index places it below the midpoint among Luzerne County districts. A parent may want to look into further with the school what instructional approaches are underway to address performance in the two core subjects, what support systems exist for students falling behind, and how the school measures progress mid-year rather than waiting for annual state results. No trend data was available to show whether these proficiency levels are moving or stable, so questions about direction would be worth asking directly.
The Hazleton Area School District is one of the largest and fastest growing in Pennsylvania. The city itself is among the county's fastest-growing municipalities, with major investment in industrial parks along Interstate 81 and new residential development spreading across the region. This growth context means the district's infrastructure is expanding: a new grades one through five elementary building is under construction to reduce class sizes, and the district has leased space for specialized academies to expand choice. The downside of rapid growth is that it strains facilities and budgets. The school district raised real estate taxes for 2025-26 and is again considering a tax increase for the 2026-27 school year as it deals with a projected deficit; the district spans three counties, so tax increases vary depending on which county a property sits in. Housing costs in the Hazleton area are below both state and national medians, making it an affordable market for families seeking to buy or rent, though mortgage rates and the local unemployment rate remain typical for the broader economy.
Hazleton itself is anchored by manufacturing, transportation and warehousing, and retail trade, with major employers like Cargill Meat Solutions and distribution logistics driving the local job base. The city has a walkable downtown core along Broad Street being revitalized with streetscape improvements, public events, and cultural programming, and civic infrastructure including the public library, parks system, and public transit hub at Church Street Station support community life.
The school's demographic composition and low-income concentration are central facts. Every family should understand that this is a school serving an economically fragile community where the vast majority of students rely on free meal programs, and that the state assessment results show significant academic challenges in the fundamental subjects. The question for a prospective family is whether the school's instructional practices, staff experience, and support systems align with what their child needs. Asking the school directly about reading and math intervention programs, classroom sizes, staff experience in high-poverty settings, and how they engage families would help ground that decision.
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