The top reported proficiency rate is 91% in Science. The lowest is 59% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Martic El Sch
Martic Elementary serves kindergarten through sixth grade in Holtwood, a rural unincorporated community in Martic Township along the lower Susquehanna River in southern Lancaster County. The school enrollment is small, and the student body is predominantly white, with nearly half of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch.
On state assessments, the school's performance is mixed. In math, students achieved proficiency at a rate below half. English language arts proficiency was slightly lower. Science proficiency, last measured a few years ago, was notably strong. When compared against other districts in Lancaster County, the school's overall proficiency index ranks in the top quartile, suggesting that despite the individual subject results, the school performs better than most of its county peers. No state testing data was available for the younger grades the school serves.
The Holtwood area itself is quiet and wooded, oriented to the river, woods, and surrounding farmland rather than any central business district. The community is car-dependent with no public transit. Daily civic and recreational life centers on the Holtwood Environmental Preserve and the adjacent nature preserve managed by the Lancaster Conservancy, both offering trails, fishing, boating, and environmental education through the PPL Environmental Center. Major employers in the area are the hydroelectric power facilities along the Susquehanna; most residents commute elsewhere for work. Housing values in the area are moderate, and population growth has been flat to declining.
The school sits within Penn Manor School District, which completed a substantial renovation and reconstruction of its high school in 2023, modernizing facilities and learning spaces for the secondary grades. The district also recently adopted policies on preferred names and pronouns in student records, as well as an athletics policy defining team placement by sex assigned at birth. For the 2024-25 school year, the district approved a budget that included a property tax increase and allocated funds for future facilities projects at three elementary schools, including Martic, signaling that additional building work and borrowing may lie ahead.
A parent may want to look into the school's current academic support and intervention strategies in math and English language arts, and to discuss with school staff how the results connect to the younger grades that feed into the tested grades. The small size and composition of the school may appeal to families seeking a close-knit rural elementary setting; others may prefer a larger peer group or a more diverse student population. Housing in the area is relatively stable and moderately priced, and families choosing Holtwood are typically drawn to the river-and-woods setting and the sense of a quiet, established community rather than a growing suburb.
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