The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Science. The lowest is 20% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Penn Cambria Ms
Penn Cambria MS is a public middle school serving grades five through eight in Gallitzin, a small historic borough atop the Allegheny Mountains in Cambria County. The school currently enrolls roughly five hundred students, about half of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with very few students of color and minimal racial diversity.
On state assessments, the school shows mixed academic performance. English language arts proficiency sits around half, which is above the midpoint among Cambria County districts. Science proficiency is notably stronger, at around seventy percent based on the most recent available data. Mathematics is the significant soft spot: proficiency is markedly low, at around one in five students meeting the standard. Mathematics performance is substantially below the county midpoint. A parent may want to look into what math support and intervention pathways the school offers, and whether specific grade levels or student cohorts are driving this gap.
The overall proficiency index across tested subjects and grades places Penn Cambria MS above the median district in Cambria County, so in context the school is performing in an average-to-solid band for its region, despite the pronounced math weakness.
Gallitzin itself is a compact, declining borough built around a still-active Norfolk Southern rail yard and historic tunnels. The town's population peaked in the 1940s and has since contracted steadily. The median home value is well below the Pennsylvania state benchmark, and housing is mostly older and owner-occupied. The local economy relies on rail operations, public-sector employment, and regional commuting to nearby Altoona for healthcare, retail, and other services.
The Penn Cambria School District is in the midst of a major consolidation. The district is closing its elementary and intermediate schools across several buildings and moving all students to a single central campus in Cresson by the 2027-28 school year. This means that students currently at Penn Cambria MS in Gallitzin will be relocated. The consolidation is driven by declining enrollment across the district. To fund the construction and renovation project, which is substantial, the district has issued multiple bonds and has increased property taxes at the full state index. For 2026-27, the district raised millage to help cover a budget deficit tied to capital improvements and a stadium renovation. Homeowners in the district should understand that property tax increases are now in effect and further ones are planned. The timing of the school closure and consolidation makes it worth confirming directly with the district which building your child would attend during the interim, and what the transition timeline means for your household.
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