The top reported proficiency rate is 82% in Science. The lowest is 52% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Donald E. Schick Sch
Donald E. Schick School serves students from prekindergarten through fifth grade in Montoursville, a small residential borough in Lycoming County that functions as a suburban extension of Williamsport. The school enrolls a substantial number of students, with a composition that is predominantly white, though the enrollment includes meaningful representation across other racial and ethnic groups. The school feeds into the same district's middle and high school, both of which recently underwent major facilities renovation.
The testing data available shows a mixed academic picture. On science, which was assessed in the prior school year, students performed strongly, with the majority reaching proficiency. In math and English language arts, proficiency rates were lower, with math sitting slightly above the midpoint and ELA slightly below it. When academic performance is measured across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Lycoming County, a solid positioning.
The school's immediate context is shaped by Montoursville itself. The borough is a built-out, slow-growth community with a flat population over recent decades and an aging demographic profile. Housing stock is predominantly older single-family homes. The local median home value is moderate, falling below both the state and national benchmarks, and housing affordability remains reasonable relative to regional income. The borough has walkable neighborhoods and maintains civic anchors including parks, schools, and the recently renovated Konkle Memorial Library, though it does not support the kind of dense downtown activity typical of larger towns. Interstate access and proximity to Williamsport Regional Airport provide connections beyond the immediate area.
On the district level, three shifts are underway that shape the experience for families with younger children at Schick. The Loyalsock Township School District recently approved its first property tax increase in nearly a decade, though it notes the rate remains the lowest school millage in the county. The district has completed substantial renovation and expansion of its combined middle and high school building, adding athletics space, a cafeteria with a teaching kitchen, and additional classrooms. Most directly relevant to Schick families, the district established a new elementary autistic support program at the school and rolled out iReady reading intervention in grades K-8, alongside expanded career-readiness work that touches high school but signals a district direction toward career pathways.
Enrollment at Schick is substantial for the grade band. A high proportion of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, though data on students with IEPs and English learners was not provided. Science instruction appears to be a relative strength. Early literacy and numeracy, represented by the tested grades 3-5 results, show room for improvement, and a parent may want to look into further detail about the reading and math support available and the role of the new iReady implementation. The new autistic support program may be of particular interest to families with students who have autism diagnoses.
The school sits within Montoursville's residential neighborhoods rather than on an isolated campus, a characteristic shared by the district's middle and high schools. The setting is quiet and suburban, with older housing stock and modest density. For families considering this area, the housing market is stable and affordable relative to regional and national benchmarks, though population growth in the borough itself is minimal.
See more original research from School Decision →