The top reported proficiency rate is 87% in Math. The lowest is 80% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Liberty Bell El Sch
Liberty Bell Elementary is a small, early-grades school serving kindergarten through third grade in Coopersburg, a compact borough in the Lehigh Valley near Allentown. The school is part of Southern Lehigh School District, which also includes Upper Saucon and Lower Milford Townships, and sits on a separate campus rather than within the downtown historic district.
The school enrolls roughly mid-sized for its grade band, with stable enrollment across the four grades and a family-oriented demographic. A modest share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Asian, multiracial, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, and Black students. Special education and English learner enrollment data were not available in the school's directory records.
On the most recent state assessment, Liberty Bell's third graders (assessed grades three and eight statewide) posted proficiency in math and English language arts well above the median among Lehigh County's tested schools. In math, proficiency sat in the top quartile; in ELA, the school also performed strongly, indicating solid foundational skill in reading and writing at this early stage. The school's overall proficiency index across tested subjects placed it in the top quartile relative to other tested schools in the county.
A significant structural change is coming: Southern Lehigh School District voted unanimously in May 2025 to replace half-day kindergarten with full-day kindergarten beginning fall 2026. This is mandatory for all kindergartners with no half-day option remaining. The full-day program includes complete literacy and math blocks, recess, special area classes, and play-based science and social studies. For families with young children, this shifts the school day substantially and affects childcare planning.
The district has also adopted a new K-12 English language arts curriculum centered on the Science of Reading, with StudySync implemented in middle and high school grades and practices filtering into elementary. This reflects a move toward research-based, standards-aligned instruction across all grade levels.
Coopersburg itself is a small, mixed-use borough with a walkable historic district along Main Street, home to Lutron Electronics headquarters and smaller retailers and restaurants. The surrounding Upper Saucon Township is experiencing active residential growth through new developments like Strawberry Hill and Whispering Pines, and the larger Promenade Park walkable neighborhood is planned for the area. Housing costs in the 18036 zip code are moderate relative to national benchmarks and have appreciated modestly year over year. The area supports professional employment at corporate and service-sector employers, and the property tax burden remains among the lowest in the Lehigh Valley, having held steady for several years before a modest increase for fiscal 2026.
Liberty Bell Elementary offers a traditional public school experience in early elementary grades in a growing outer-ring suburban setting with stable or improving housing demand and relatively controlled property taxes. Its test results suggest sound early literacy and numeracy instruction. A parent would want to confirm with the school what supports and interventions are in place for students working below grade level, given that proficiency on state assessment does not capture the full range of skill within the school.
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