The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Science. The lowest is 32% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Burrowes El Sch
Burrowes Elementary serves early childhood and primary grades on East Orange Street in Lancaster, a walkable historic city with dense downtown life anchored by Central Market, theaters, and redeveloping blocks of apartments and civic spaces. The school is part of Lancaster School District, which is midway through a substantial rebuilding cycle that will touch Burrowes, making it one of several schools receiving new or major renovation by 2028.
The school enrolls a small population dominated by Hispanic students and draws a high proportion of families with economic need. About four of every five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The peer group is economically and ethnically different from the broader suburban and rural character of Lancaster County, where Burrowes sits lower on proficiency measures relative to other district schools in the county.
State assessment data shows proficiency rates well below the county median. In mathematics and English language arts for grades three through five, just under a third to a bit over a third of students tested reached proficiency; science results, from the prior school year and based on a smaller tested group, were stronger at roughly two-thirds. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among districts countywide. A parent may want to discuss with the school what instructional moves are underway to close those gaps and what support systems exist for students who test below proficiency.
The district has managed a major accounting mishap in 2024-25 that created an unexpected deficit and triggered property tax increases beginning that year, with the largest hike in over a decade. Homeowners here are carrying higher recurring school-tax costs than before. However, this pressure is being paired with substantially increased state aid to the district following Pennsylvania's 2023 court ruling that the old funding formula was unconstitutional. The district now receives more adequacy supplement funding than any other in the county, money directed to expanded English learner and special education services. That shift is structural and is reshaping how the district works with high-need students.
The district's Phase 4 capital plan, now underway, includes a new building for Burrowes itself. Families enrolling now will see construction activity but will move into substantially renewed facilities within a few years, a different environment from what exists today. The city's housing market sits slightly below the state benchmark for median home value, with rents below national patterns; the area offers walkability and downtown access that appeals to families seeking urban-adjacent living without a major metropolitan drive.
See more original research from School Decision →