The top reported proficiency rate is 72% in Science. The lowest is 48% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Locust Grove El Sch
Locust Grove Elementary is a public school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in York, Pennsylvania, as part of the Red Lion Area School District. The school enrolls a diverse student body that reflects the broader York area, with a majority white enrollment alongside meaningful representation of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating modest socioeconomic diversity.
The school's academic performance shows mixed results. In math, students are near the statewide median for proficiency, with about half meeting or exceeding proficiency standards as of the most recent testing cycle. English language arts performance is somewhat lower, with proficiency rates slightly below the midpoint. Science proficiency, measured in the previous cycle, was notably stronger. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among schools in York County districts, a position it achieves despite the modest math and reading numbers. The school serves students from kindergarten through sixth grade, so state testing applies only to grades three through six; proficiency data for grades K-2 is not available because those grades are not assessed.
Enrollment is stable at under 400 students, distributed evenly across grade levels. The school is located on East Prospect Road in York, a small historic Pennsylvania city where downtown revitalization is actively underway. The city's walkable core includes restored civic institutions, restaurants, and cultural venues, and residential neighborhoods of rowhomes and converted historic buildings blend with newer development in surrounding townships. Housing values in the area are below the state median and substantially below the national median, making homeownership or rental housing more accessible than in many regions. Employment anchors in the county are diverse, including a major health system, manufacturing, federal employment, and retail.
The Red Lion Area School District encompasses four municipalities: Brogue, Red Lion, Windsor, and York. In late 2022, the district board adopted a policy requiring students to use bathrooms and locker rooms and participate in athletic teams based on their birth sex, with a gender-neutral bathroom as the alternative. The board moved to make this permanent in spring 2023. For families with transgender students, this policy is a material consideration. Additionally, the district has faced budget pressure that resulted in a proposed property tax increase under consideration in recent years and scrutiny over spending inefficiencies at an alternative school. These are the kind of district-level governance and financial decisions that affect household budgets and may factor into where a family chooses to send their children.
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