The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 28% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Old Forge Jshs
Old Forge JSHS is a mid-sized junior-senior high school serving grades seven through twelve in a small, tight-knit borough about five miles southwest of downtown Scranton. The school is part of the Old Forge School District, which operates on a consolidated, single-campus model with the elementary school, all nestled within the town's compact walkable center rather than on a separated campus. The school's roughly four hundred thirty students reflect the borough's modest, stable population and its demographic makeup: a predominantly white community with a growing Hispanic presence and a meaningful share of students from families with lower household incomes qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
Academic performance at Old Forge JSHS shows mixed results on state testing in grades three through eight. English language arts proficiency sits close to the state average, with about half of tested students demonstrating proficiency. Mathematics performance is weaker, with roughly a quarter of students meeting proficiency standards. On a proficiency index across tested subjects, the school sits above the midpoint among the county's districts, suggesting it is performing better than several of its Lackawanna County peers but not among the county's strongest. No graduation rate or four-year attainment data appears in the public record for this school, and data on participation and attendance rates were not available, so a parent may want to look into those metrics directly with the school to understand progression and engagement more fully. The school likely serves students across a broad range of academic preparedness; state testing data for middle grades does not tell the full picture of how students are moving through the high school years.
The district completed a comprehensive renovation of the school campus, launched in 2022 and finished by summer 2023, modernizing interiors, lighting, technology, and classroom spaces across the K-12 facility. This was the first major overhaul in decades and represents a material quality-of-life upgrade to the physical learning environment.
Old Forge itself is a former coal-mining town now known as the Pizza Capital of the World, with a distinctive heritage of family-owned pizzerias and small businesses lining Main Street. The borough is generally walkable, especially along the commercial corridor, though many residential side streets lack formal sidewalks. Civic life centers on the Main Street commercial spine and borough center, with parks and trail access via the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail nearby. The housing market features older, well-maintained traditional and ranch homes at moderate prices, well below state and national medians, appealing to homebuyers seeking lower property taxes relative to nearby Scranton. Population has been essentially flat for decades, having declined sharply from the coal-era peak but now stable. The community draws working-age residents who commute to broader regional employment in healthcare and retail; the school district itself is a significant local employer.
Families considering Old Forge JSHS should think of this as a neighborhood school rooted in a stable, aging small town with moderate-income families, where the physical plant has recently been upgraded but academic proficiency trails state benchmarks in mathematics. The school serves a genuinely mixed-ability student body. Parents looking for strong college-prep programming, advanced course breadth, or robust alternative pathways should inquire directly about what the school offers in those areas, as this information is not visible in the available data.
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