The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kiski Area Upper El Sch
Kiski Area Upper Elementary School serves grades five and six in Apollo, a small, quiet river borough about half an hour northeast of Pittsburgh. The school sits on a campus-style site on Route 66, outside the historic walkable core of town. The building serves a school district spanning nine municipalities across Armstrong and Westmoreland counties; Apollo itself is a compact former coal-mining town with modest commercial life and mostly vintage residential housing on steep, sidewalked streets. The region's jobs lean toward Kittanning to the north and Pittsburgh to the south, with many families commuting.
The school's recent test results show a mixed academic picture. In English language arts, the school's proficiency rate sits at a level that exceeds the midpoint typical in Westmoreland County schools, suggesting solid ground in reading and writing. Mathematics proficiency, by contrast, falls below county midpoint and represents the clearer area of concern; just under a third of tested students met proficiency standards. Overall, the school's proficiency index—a combined measure across both subjects—lands below the county midpoint, placing it in the lower half of the county's district cohort on this measure. A parent weighing this school may want to look into the district's approach to math instruction and whether there are specific supports available for students falling short.
The school's enrollment is around five hundred students, split roughly equally between fifth and sixth grade. Economically, the student body reflects Apollo's working-class character: a substantial share qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the school is predominantly white, with smaller representation of Black and Hispanic students. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available.
The broader district is investing significantly in its facilities. An ongoing major renovation of the intermediate school (grades 7-8) is scheduled for completion in late 2025; those grades are currently housed temporarily within the high school. For families in Westmoreland County, where Apollo sits, property tax rates rose for the 2024-2025 budget, affecting household costs. Housing in the area is relatively affordable: median home values in Apollo proper are about half the Pennsylvania state average, and mortgage and rent burdens are manageable by national standards.
Apollo itself is a no-growth preservation town, with the senior-citizen housing complex planned on the former high school site being the largest recent project. New single-family subdivisions are being built in surrounding townships rather than within the borough, reflecting broader patterns of development away from the older town centers. Street life remains walkable and compact, anchored by the Apollo Memorial Library and small shops along the main drag, but the public schools operate on separated campuses outside this downtown fabric.
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