The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Science. The lowest is 22% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Northern Lehigh Ms
Northern Lehigh MS serves seventh and eighth grade in Slatington, a small historic borough in the Lehigh Valley. The school draws from a working-class community where all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of Hispanic students and smaller numbers of Asian and Black students. The middle school sits on a shared district campus rather than embedded in the walkable downtown core; it is the main middle grades facility for the district.
Academically, the school's recent test results show uneven performance across subjects. In English language arts, proficiency stands at a level that reflects mixed mastery; students are more evenly split between proficient and not proficient. Mathematics proficiency is notably low, with only a quarter of students meeting state standards. Science proficiency, measured most recently, is stronger, running at a level close to or above the midpoint for the state assessment. Overall, when proficiency rates are combined across tested subjects, Northern Lehigh MS falls below the midpoint among schools in its county comparison group. A parent may want to look into what teaching or support strategies the school has underway to shore up math, particularly, and to understand what accounts for the relative strength in science.
The school sits within Northern Lehigh School District, a district in active transition. The district has been raising property taxes consecutively in recent budget years and is adopting new core curriculum programs—a new English language arts approach (Amplify CKLA) and a new mathematics program—both of which will reshape classroom practice for current and incoming students. The district is also weighing a significant facilities recommendation to consolidate to a single common campus by closing Peters Elementary and reconfiguring grade assignments across buildings. That study and its cost implications are publicly available information that prospective families should review, since such a change would alter which building each child attends and carry long-term tax and debt consequences.
The immediate Slatington area offers a stable, slow-growth setting. The borough itself has held a similar population for more than a century and sits within a historic streetscape of Victorians and duplexes organized on a walkable grid, with small businesses and civic anchors like Victory Park and the Delaware & Lehigh Trail trailhead drawing residents outdoors. Housing values in the area have risen modestly year-over-year. Most employment is driven by regional sectors—manufacturing, retail, and health care—with residents commuting outward; the school district itself is a notable in-town employer. A new-construction market is active in adjacent townships, suggesting that growth is occurring at the fringe rather than within the borough proper.
The school's enrollment is small, with about that many students divided evenly between the two grade levels. Data on special education enrollment and English learner enrollment were not available. State testing data for participation rates were also not provided, so a parent may want to confirm that testing participation is high. Overall, Northern Lehigh MS is a middle-grades school in a stable working community where families should be prepared for ongoing curriculum change and district facilities planning, and where academic support in mathematics appears to warrant close conversation with school leadership.
See more original research from School Decision →