The top reported proficiency rate is 56% in Science. The lowest is 19% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Swift Ms
Swift Middle School serves grades six through eight in Quarryville, a small Lancaster County borough that functions as the commercial and service hub for the southern part of the county. The school sits within Solanco School District, which covers Quarryville, New Providence, and Christiana and has been investing in facilities, technology, and security upgrades drawn from a general-fund surplus, including HVAC work and roof restoration at elementary buildings. At the high school level, the district has added college-credit pathways including a dual-enrollment agreement with Cairn University and new advanced courses such as AP French.
The school enrolls a small population of about that size spread across the three middle grades. The student body is predominantly white, with a Hispanic representation of roughly one in nine students. About half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a substantial share of families in the school's attendance zone experience economic constraint. Data on students with IEPs or who are English learners were not available.
Academically, Swift's results in 2024-25 math and ELA testing show areas of concern. In math, proficiency was notably low, with fewer than one in five students meeting proficiency. In ELA, the school performed better relative to math but still with fewer than half the students proficient. Science proficiency data come from 2022-23 and showed stronger performance there. The overall proficiency index, which averages results across tested subjects and grades, places Swift in the bottom quartile among the school's county peer districts. A parent may want to look into further with the school what academic supports and intervention strategies are in place for students not yet proficient, and what resources have been allocated to address performance gaps in mathematics.
The Quarryville area itself is rural and agricultural, with the borough serving as a modest downtown centered on State Street and Lime Street with local shops and services. Most residents drive for transportation; there is no fixed-route public transit. The Theodore A. Parker III Natural Area and Huffnagle Park provide outdoor recreation access, and the Enola Low Grade Rail Trail runs through the area. Housing costs are moderate relative to state and national benchmarks. The district approved a property tax increase for 2025-26 within Pennsylvania's Act 1 cap, reflecting an ongoing structural budget gap that families considering a move into the area should factor into their total cost of living. The district's commitment to facility upgrades and security enhancements through the use of carryover surplus money shapes the physical condition and environment that students experience in their buildings.
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