The top reported proficiency rate is 79% in Science. The lowest is 47% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Parkside El Sch
Parkside Elementary serves kindergarten through fifth grade in a small, pedestrian-oriented residential borough in southern Delaware County. The school sits integrated into Parkside's tree-lined residential streets rather than on a campus, and it draws students from a community that was almost completely built out decades ago and has remained demographically stable since.
The student body is just over half economically disadvantaged, qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch at a rate above the midpoint among Delaware County district schools. Enrollment is balanced across the grade band, with a total around that size for a small K-5 elementary. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Black, mixed-race, and Asian students. Data on special education and English learner enrollment were not available.
In state testing, Parkside Elementary's results are mixed. On the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment for grades three through five, the school's proficiency in English language arts sat just above half of students tested in 2024-25. Mathematics proficiency was lower, with about half of students reaching proficiency. Science results, most recently available from 2022-23, were notably stronger, with proficiency above three-quarters. Across tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it above the midpoint among its county's districts.
The district is rolling out a new social and emotional learning framework called Leader in Me across all elementary schools, with Parkside as the pilot site. This curriculum, built on the "7 Habits of Highly Effective Students," is now woven into weekly Guidance and classroom time at every K-5 school and represents a district-wide pedagogical shift. At the same time, the Penn-Delco School District adopted a meaningful property-tax increase for 2024-25 to fund additional student-support staff and cover rising special-education and charter-school costs, a recurring expense for homeowners across Aston, Brookhaven, and Parkside.
Parkside Borough itself is a very small, fully residential community with limited employment base. The school sits within walking distance of residents' homes along pedestrian-friendly blocks, and the borough benefits from the seven-acre Wood Lot, a wooded property along Chester Creek open to the public, as well as proximity to Chester Park and the Taylor Memorial Arboretum. Library service comes through the Aston Public Library. The nearby closure of Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital has removed a significant regional employment anchor adjacent to the borough. Housing values in the area are below the state average but carry a rent-to-mortgage cost gap that favors buying; median household income and mortgage rates current as of early 2026 suggest relative stability in the local housing market.
A parent considering Parkside Elementary should expect a traditional neighborhood school with mixed academic performance on state assessments, a large share of students from economically strained households, and a newly implemented district-wide social-emotional curriculum that will be the main vehicle for the state's mandated behavioral-health instruction. The school is small enough to be familiar and walkable from most parts of the borough, and is part of a district that has chosen to invest in additional counseling and psychological support. Testing data on special education and English learner rates were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those populations if they are relevant to their child.
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