The top reported proficiency rate is 63% in Science. The lowest is 28% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Clear Run Intrmd Sch
Clear Run Intermediate School serves grades three through six in Tobyhanna, an unincorporated community in Coolbaugh Township within the Pocono Mountains of Monroe County. The school is part of Pocono Mountain School District, a mid-sized regional district that has undergone meaningful changes in the past few years.
The school's enrollment is stable at around nine hundred students, with a nearly equal distribution across the four grade levels. The student body is economically disadvantaged: nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic composition of the area. The school is racially and ethnically diverse, with Hispanic students representing just over a third of enrollment, Black students about a third, and white students about a quarter, along with smaller numbers of students from other backgrounds.
On state assessments in mathematics and English language arts, Clear Run's proficiency rates are below the state standard. In the most recent testing year, roughly a third of students achieved proficiency in math and just over a quarter in English language arts. Science proficiency, measured in an earlier year, was substantially higher at around three-fifths of students meeting that standard. When measured against other districts in Monroe County, the school's overall proficiency index sits above the midpoint, meaning its combined performance across tested subjects and grades ranks in the upper half of the county's district set, though parents may want to look further into the school's specific instructional strategies and support systems, particularly in literacy and numeracy.
Pocono Mountain School District has made two notable moves relevant to families considering the area. The district had maintained property tax rates unchanged for more than a decade, but in 2022 approved the first increase in that extended period. The millage rate has since climbed further, with recent fiscal years bringing continued increases through the current year. For homeowners, this marks a material shift in the long-term tax trajectory. At the same time, the district has implemented a K-12 STEAM integration program that earned national recognition through a 2025 award, signaling an intentional, system-wide move toward teaching science, technology, engineering, arts, and math across all grade levels rather than in isolation.
Tobyhanna itself is a car-dependent, rural-suburban community in the Pocono resort corridor between New York and Philadelphia. The landscape is dominated by forested terrain and lakeside residential developments. The Tobyhanna Army Depot, a major military electronics facility, is the region's largest employer. Housing values are moderate for the Northeast, and rental housing is available, though short-term vacation rentals are numerous in the area. The community has limited walkable downtown; schools and civic functions sit on separated campuses along the highway. Some families commute to jobs in the metro areas to the east and west, a drive of roughly an hour or more depending on destination. The area is growing, with new residential subdivisions and continuing conversations about infrastructure, including a long-dormant rail project that envisions future commuter service.
Clear Run's role in this context is as the intermediate school serving the area's upper elementary grades in a district undergoing both fiscal and curricular transition. The school operates in a student population with considerable economic need and serves a community in active demographic and economic change.
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