The top reported proficiency rate is 94% in Science. The lowest is 73% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Linntown El Sch
Linntown Elementary serves fourth and fifth graders in Lewisburg, a small historic borough in Union County that sits a short walk from Bucknell University's campus. The school draws from a walkable, downtown-anchored community with a mixed composition: healthcare, higher education, and small manufacturing anchor local employment, and the town itself reflects both the character of a county seat and the texture of an academic town.
The school's enrollment is small, comprising about equal cohorts in fourth and fifth grade. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are Hispanic, two or more races, or Asian. About one in four students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school neither at the high-poverty nor the low-poverty end of the spectrum. Data on students with IEPs or English learners was not available, so a parent may want to look into how the school supports those populations.
Academically, Linntown shows strength in science. The most recent science assessment result available was notably high. Math and English language arts proficiency both sit at the same rate, a solid middle-ground result that suggests roughly three in four students are meeting grade-level standards in those subjects. For a school serving elementary grades, the absence of some detail like average scale scores or participation rates reflects how Pennsylvania reports certain metrics; these gaps do not indicate missing performance, but rather how the state publishes the data.
Placed against the three other districts in Union County, Linntown's overall proficiency index sits in the top quartile, meaning the school's combined performance across tested subjects outpaces the median district proficiency in the county.
Lewisburg itself offers the kind of civic anchors and walkability that matter to families: Hufnagle Park downtown, the restored Art Deco Campus Theatre, independent shops and restaurants on Market Street, farmers markets, and multiple parks along the Susquehanna River nearby. Housing in the 17837 ZIP code sits below the state benchmark for home values and carries a modest rent-to-income ratio, making it accessible relative to many Pennsylvania communities. The town's growth is constrained by its historic-preservation framework and small footprint, so new housing is emerging on the borough edges rather than densifying the core, with recent developments like The Meadows offering new construction at varying price points.
The district itself has raised property taxes each year since 2020-21 and proposes a further increase for the 2026-27 budget, a sustained compounding cost that directly affects families buying into the area. On the instructional side, the district is running a K-12 science curriculum review as its first priority this year and is formally integrating artificial intelligence into teaching and learning across all grades, both changes that shape how every student is instructed.
For a family drawn to a small elementary school in a walkable historic town with solid baseline proficiency, particular strength in science, and the proximity to a college-educated community, Linntown fits that profile clearly. Parents weighing enrollment may want to discuss with the school the details of support for students with identified disabilities or English learners, since those enrollment counts were not publicly reported.
See more original research from School Decision →