The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Math. The lowest is 38% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Rommelt El Sch
Rommelt Elementary School serves grades 5 and 6 in South Williamsport, a small residential borough in Lycoming County known as the home of Little League Baseball. The school sits within the South Williamsport Area School District on West Central Avenue in a densely developed neighborhood of single-family homes and local businesses. However, families should know that the district voted in April 2025 to close Rommelt effective at the end of this school year. Beginning in the 2025-26 school year, the district will reconfigure to two buildings: fifth grade will move to Central Elementary (which becomes K-5), and sixth grade will move to the Junior/Senior High School (which will serve grades 6-12). This structural change means current families with children at Rommelt will split between two new buildings.
The school's academic performance, based on the most recent state assessment data, shows proficiency rates of about 38.5 percent in mathematics and 38.3 percent in English language arts across grades 5 and 6 combined. These rates place Rommelt in the bottom quartile when compared with other districts in Lycoming County, indicating that student mastery of grade-level standards is below the county's median and well below the highest-performing districts in the region. Parents may want to look into this further with the school and district to understand the underlying factors and what support systems exist for students working toward proficiency.
The school serves a student body that is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic composition of South Williamsport. Specific numbers on special education enrollment and English learner populations are not available in the data provided.
South Williamsport itself is a walkable community of roughly small size, dominated by single-family homes in 20th-century architectural styles. The borough sits on the south side of the West Branch Susquehanna River, with most commercial development and civic infrastructure concentrated across the river in Williamsport. The community swells each August when hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive for the Little League World Series, but the pace is slow and family-oriented the rest of the year. Parks, trails along the Susquehanna, and the Little League International Complex anchor local recreation and civic life.
Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. Home values are well below the Pennsylvania state average, and rental costs are moderate relative to local incomes. Families moving to the area will find a stable residential market with modest year-over-year appreciation and affordability that favors homebuyers over renters.
The broader district context includes curriculum changes that have reshaped how instruction happens in elementary grades. The district adopted Amplify CKLA, a knowledge-based English language arts program, with full implementation in K-5 beginning in the 2024-25 school year and a pilot in grades 6-8 the same year. Science and social studies are embedded within this core program rather than taught as separate subjects in K-5.
The district has also undertaken significant infrastructure work, including window replacement and auditorium renovations at Central Elementary and a state grant-funded capital project at the high school, plus an energy and HVAC upgrade agreement at the Junior/Senior High School. These improvements signal ongoing investment in facility conditions. Property taxes, however, have risen in consecutive years, with cumulative increases that residents see on each tax bill.
For families already at the school, the closure presents logistical and social questions about how their children will settle into new buildings and peer groups. For those considering the district, the impending reconfiguration and current academic performance below county norms are both factors to weigh against the community's affordability, walkability, and child-friendly character.
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