The top reported proficiency rate is 85% in Science. The lowest is 30% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Northwest Area Intermediate Sch
Northwest Area Intermediate School serves grades three through six in Shickshinny, a small rural borough on the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County. The school sits outside the town's historic downtown core; Shickshinny itself is a compact, quiet river community that has contracted significantly over decades and is focused on recovery from a major flood. The school draws from Shickshinny plus surrounding townships served by the consolidated Northwest Area School District.
On academic performance, the school shows uneven results. In math proficiency among grades three through six, the school is above the midpoint among Luzerne County districts' performance. Reading proficiency is considerably weaker, with less than a third of students meeting proficiency standards. Science proficiency, most recently measured, was substantially higher. Overall, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among county districts, but this reflects strength in science; the reading results suggest a parent may want to look into literacy instruction more closely with the school.
The enrollment is small, under three hundred students distributed fairly evenly across the four grade levels. More than half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting economic need in the surrounding area. The student body is predominantly white, with very small numbers of students from other racial or ethnic backgrounds. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations were not available.
The immediate context for this school is significant change. The school board voted in February 2026 to close Northwest Area Intermediate School at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Starting in 2026-2027, third and fourth graders will move to the primary school and fifth and sixth graders will relocate to the junior-senior high school campus. The consolidation is driven by budget pressures; the district is managing a substantial shortfall and expects to save money through reducing transportation to a single bus route and cutting staff through attrition. The district also passed a property tax increase for 2025-2026, raising the millage rate and locking in higher ongoing taxes for homeowners.
Shickshinny itself is a borough of roughly a thousand residents, surrounded by forests and situated along US Route 11 between larger communities. The town economy is small-scale: a handful of local businesses, the regional school district as a regional employer, and municipal government. Historic anchors include a restored downtown building completed recently, housing a museum and children's library. The defining recent event is the September 2011 Susquehanna flood, which destroyed homes and businesses; entire rows of housing along streets like North Canal were demolished and are now green space. The borough's recovery plan calls for managed retreat from the floodplain rather than rebuilding there.
Housing in the area is below the state benchmark and significantly below the national benchmark, reflecting rural market conditions. The area has experienced long population decline from a peak decades ago down to current levels, though local economic data show stable unemployment and median household income in line with national trends.
This intermediate school, as it exists today, will cease to operate at the end of this school year. For families currently in the school or considering the district, the restructuring means students will attend different campuses starting next fall, with implications for daily logistics, peer groups, and building culture that are material. The reading performance results merit a direct conversation with school leadership about literacy supports and classroom practice. A parent evaluating this school should do so with the closure timeline in mind and understand how the consolidation will affect their child's educational pathway.
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