The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Science. The lowest is 47% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lathrop Street El Sch
Lathrop Street Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Montrose, a small rural Pennsylvania borough that sits in the rolling Endless Mountains region of Susquehanna County. The school is a regular public elementary building within the Montrose Area School District, located on Lathrop Street on the district's campus, set apart from the historic downtown courthouse and commercial core.
The student body is predominantly white, reflecting Montrose's demographics. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community facing economic hardship. The enrollment spans from kindergarten through sixth grade and runs in the hundreds.
In state testing, math proficiency sits at roughly half of students meeting the standard, while reading and language arts achievement is slightly stronger at about half the students proficient. Science proficiency is substantially higher, at around four-fifths of students tested. When proficiency across tested subjects is averaged together, the school ranks in the top quartile among Susquehanna County school districts, a meaningful distinction in a rural county where many districts report lower overall proficiency.
The district has taken concrete steps to strengthen math instruction. The Montrose Area School District adopted Big Ideas Math as its standard K-12 curriculum, paired with i-Ready for diagnostic assessment and individualized learning pathways. This is a lasting pedagogical shift that will touch every student the school serves. In language arts, the district completed a formal curriculum review in 2023-24, signaling a reset of ELA programs across all grades. These curriculum moves address the uneven proficiency picture: math remains a softer spot, while the district is actively working to strengthen both math and reading instruction across the system.
Montrose itself is a county seat with a walkable historic downtown centered on a courthouse complex, though civic anchors and the school district's main campus sit on separate campuses outside the downtown core. The borough's economy shifted notably after decades of post-industrial decline when Marcellus Shale natural gas activity began in the late 2000s, bringing investment and revenue that improved local conditions. Housing values in the area are modest by state and national standards. The nearest commercial airports are in Binghamton (about 30 miles away) and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (about 60 miles away). Transit is limited; the town is served by state highways but not passenger rail. Major local employers include the hospital, county government, the school district, and area retailers and service providers.
For families in Montrose, Lathrop Street represents the elementary option within the district's public system. The school's proficiency spread suggests math skills need attention alongside the ongoing curriculum rollout, and a parent may want to discuss with the school how Big Ideas Math and i-Ready are being implemented at the elementary level and what progress has been measurable so far. The overall proficiency index positions it favorably among its rural county peers, but the absolute proficiency rates in math and reading remain below the typical state midpoint, a reality reflecting both the school's serving a very low-income student population and the ongoing work of improvement.
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