The top reported proficiency rate is 78% in Science. The lowest is 70% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Central El Sch
Central Elementary School serves kindergarten through fourth grade in South Williamsport, a small borough on the south side of the Susquehanna River known nationally as the home of Little League Baseball. The school enrolls students from a residential community of single-family homes built in 20th-century styles, walkable and family-oriented, with a small business base and most commercial activity across the river in Williamsport.
The school's tested performance sits solidly above the midpoint among Lycoming County districts. In math, proficiency among students in grades three and four reached nearly seventy-seven percent. English language arts proficiency came in closer to seventy percent. Science results from the most recent assessment cycle showed proficiency near seventy-eight percent. This overall strength places Central Elementary in the top quartile for proficiency across its county peers. State testing data does not extend below grade three, so the school's work with kindergarten, first, and second grade sits outside the state assessment framework.
The student population reflects the borough's demographics: predominantly white, with smaller shares of students identifying as Black, Hispanic, Asian, or multiracial. Just over half the enrollment qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a modest level of economic need in the student body. Enrollment is stable at a size typical for a K-4 building in a small district.
The school faces a significant structural change beginning in the 2025-26 school year. The district voted in April 2025 to close Rommelt Elementary School and consolidate the district from three schools to two. Central Elementary will expand to serve kindergarten through fifth grade, with the former fifth graders joining the school and sixth graders moving to the Junior/Senior High School. This reconfiguration reshapes which building families attend and alters the school's grade configuration and likely its daily operations and peer environment.
At the district level, families should know that the South Williamsport Area School District has implemented a new core reading and language arts curriculum, Amplify CKLA, beginning in the 2024-25 school year at Central Elementary, embedding science and social studies instruction. The district has also undertaken a capital improvement program that includes renovations to Central Elementary's windows, auditorium, and flooring, funded partly by a state grant. Property taxes have increased in consecutive years and are projected to rise again, a cumulative shift homeowners feel on each bill. Parents may want to reach out to the school or district directly about enrollment and the transition to K-5 configuration, since the change affects where fifth graders will attend beginning next year.
See more original research from School Decision →