The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Science. The lowest is 21% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Tussey Mountain Ms
Tussey Mountain MS sits in Saxton, a small borough in northwestern Bedford County that has shrunk from a onetime railroad and coal town to a working-class community of a few hundred residents. The school serves grades five through eight and enrolls a small cohort of about that size, drawn from across a large geographic district that spans multiple townships in Bedford and Huntingdon counties. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student body is overwhelmingly white, with minimal racial diversity.
On state assessments in the most recent year, the school's results are well below where most families would want them to land. In English language arts, just over one-third of students reached proficiency. In math, only about one-fifth of students scored at proficient or above. Science data is from an earlier year and sits at about half proficient, but the math and ELA numbers are current and signal a school where a majority of students are falling short of grade-level benchmarks. When compared to other districts in Bedford County, Tussey Mountain MS sits below the midpoint in overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, meaning the school's performance lags behind what the region's middle schools are achieving on average. A parent may want to look into this further with the school and the district to understand whether there are specific supports in place, intervention programs, or staffing changes underway.
The broader context matters here. Saxton itself faces long-term decline. The borough has lost population steadily over decades and sits on infrastructure maintenance mode rather than growth, with recent public investment centered on aging lift stations and utility upgrades. Median household income is roughly half the state average, and poverty rates are roughly double county and state figures. The district has raised property taxes in each of the past three years, a recurring strain on family budgets in a lower-income area. At the same time, the school district is undertaking a safety renovation at its elementary building in summer 2025 with state grant support, signaling some commitment to the physical learning environment.
Tussey Mountain MS is a traditional public middle school in a rural, economically strained setting. The school and surrounding community are not positioned for rapid growth or change. For a family already rooted in the district's coverage area, the school is the default middle choice. For a family considering whether to move into Saxton or the broader Broad Top region for housing affordability, the academic profile warrants serious conversation with school staff about what supports exist and what the trajectory is, given the gap between current proficiency and state expectations.
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