The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Science. The lowest is 37% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Penns Manor Area El Sch
Penns Manor Area Elementary School serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Clymer, a small rural borough in Indiana County that was built as a coal town and has been declining gradually for decades. The school is housed in a consolidated campus outside the borough, in Cherryhill Township, alongside the junior-senior high school serving grades 6 through 12.
The school has an enrollment of about three hundred students spread across seven grade levels. A substantial share—roughly three in five—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic conditions of the area. The student body is predominantly white, with very small numbers of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Data on students with individualized education plans or English learners was not available.
On state assessments, the school shows mixed results. In math, proficiency among students in grades three through five reached roughly half of tested students. In English language arts, proficiency was notably lower, at roughly one in three students tested. Science data from a prior year showed stronger performance, with roughly four in five students reaching proficiency. The most recent data for science came from two years back, so a current picture in that subject is not available. Among the county's districts, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile, indicating stronger-than-median performance relative to its neighbors.
Clymer itself presents a constrained economic context. The borough has lost population over the past several years and sits well below state averages in educational attainment among adults. Median household income in the area is modest, and poverty rates remain elevated. The historic employer base—coal and clay industries—has largely vanished. Current employment is concentrated in small service businesses, local government, and two bank branches. Indiana University of Pennsylvania, about nine miles away, anchors broader regional employment for commuters. Housing values in the zip code are below state benchmarks, which can make homeownership more accessible but also reflects limited demand.
The district faces fiscal stress. The 2026-27 budget includes a property tax increase after a substantial deficit, alongside staffing reductions including an elementary art teacher furlough and unfilled retirement positions. These changes will affect program breadth at the elementary level and increase costs for homeowners. The district has also launched a cash incentive program targeting families with students in outside cyber charter schools, a signal that enrollment leakage to alternative providers is a concern.
Academically, the school's strength in science and solid overall proficiency standing relative to county peers are positives. The lag in English language arts, however, warrants attention and may merit a conversation with the school about what reading support and intervention structures are in place. The elementary program itself sits on a campus shared with the high school, so the immediate peer environment and daily interaction are limited to the early grades, with upper-elementary students in a mixed-grades setting.
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