The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in Science. The lowest is 18% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Thirteenth & Union El Sch
Thirteenth & Union serves the youngest learners in Reading's public system, enrolling a cohort that is overwhelmingly Latino and economically vulnerable. The school sits in the dense urban core of Reading, a majority-Latino city that has undergone a profound demographic and cultural shift over recent decades. Nearly all students here qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is about eighty-five percent Hispanic or Latino, with a much smaller share of white, Black, and Asian students. The school is small for an elementary, running from pre-K through fourth grade.
On the most recent state assessments, Thirteenth & Union's results in English language arts and math are below where a parent would want them. In the most recent testing year, proficiency in language arts sat at around one-fifth of students, and in math it was roughly similar. The school's proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the county's other districts on this measure. Science results from the 2022-23 school year were markedly stronger, with about half of tested students meeting proficiency. The differences between science and the literacy and numeracy results are substantial enough that a parent may want to ask the school directly what is driving them and whether there have been recent shifts in how math and reading instruction are being approached.
The school receives Title I designation, reflecting its high-poverty enrollment. Reading School District has begun receiving substantially elevated state aid in recent years as a result of Pennsylvania's new school funding equity law, which targets supplements to districts with the largest adequacy gaps. The district also held the line on property taxes for 2025-26, a rarity in the region. In the broader context of the district, a new STEM-focused Innovation Academy high school is set to open in 2026-27, though it will serve students several grades ahead of Thirteenth & Union's current cohort.
The neighborhood is walkable and well-served by public transit, and the city's downtown core sits nearby. Housing in the zip code is modest in value and rent is low relative to income, making the area affordable compared to surrounding Berks County, though the city itself is economically stressed and faces higher poverty rates than the surrounding county. The school's location on North Thirteenth Street places it in one of Reading's established residential neighborhoods, within reach of the transit hub and civic anchors.
For families with younger elementary students, Thirteenth & Union offers enrollment in a fully public, non-selective school in a diverse, majority-Latino urban neighborhood. The challenge is the gap between current proficiency levels in literacy and math and where families would hope students would be. Whether that gap reflects student need, recent instructional shifts, or staffing challenges is something a parent should explore directly with the school and the district.
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