The top reported proficiency rate is 74% in Science. The lowest is 41% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Wharton Sch
Wharton School is a small, rural elementary school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Farmington, Pennsylvania, a sparse unincorporated community in Wharton Township along the historic National Road about an hour southeast of Pittsburgh. The school sits in a landscape shaped by outdoor recreation, the nearby Nemacolin Resort complex, and Fort Necessity National Battlefield, with a student body that is almost entirely white and economically disadvantaged: every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school's academic performance is mixed across subjects. On the most recent state assessment data available, students in grades three through five showed proficiency in math at a rate somewhat below the halfway mark. English language arts proficiency was lower still. Science results from a prior year showed stronger performance, roughly three-quarters of tested students meeting proficiency. Overall, when those tested subjects and grades are averaged together, the school's proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Fayette County, a position that reflects both the science strength and the smaller number of students tested in that subject relative to the ELA and math cohorts.
Enrollment is small and balanced across grades, with roughly equal numbers in each grade band from kindergarten through fifth. The student body is racially homogeneous, with only a handful of students identifying as Hispanic or multiracial. No data on special education identification rates or English learner counts was available. The school's enrollment total is typical for a rural elementary school of this grade band.
Farmington itself is a very low-density area with no traditional downtown. Daily life is car-dependent, organized along U.S. Route 40 with country roads branching into residential areas. The housing market is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, though recent home prices have edged slightly upward. The largest employer is Nemacolin, which operates a resort and casino and is currently developing a substantial residential community for resort staff. Tourism and hospitality dominate local economic life, with state parks, the Great Allegheny Passage rail-trail, and outdoor recreation forming the civic anchors of the region.
The district context is significant for families considering this school. Uniontown Area School District, which operates Wharton, is undergoing major structural change. In May 2026 the board approved a grade reconfiguration that will move all K-5 students to elementary schools, 6-8 students to middle school, and 9-12 students to high school, with the change taking effect in fall 2027. More immediately, the district is moving toward closing Franklin Elementary in Vanderbilt and Marclay Middle School in Markleysburg to address decades of declining enrollment, with possible closure votes scheduled for fall 2026. The district also raised its property tax millage for the 2026-27 budget to address a deficit, a direct increase to homeowners' tax bills. These shifts mean that the configuration and location of schools in the district will change in the near term, and that property tax costs will rise. A parent or resident choosing to live in this area should speak directly with the district about how the grade reconfiguration and any school closures will affect this school and where Wharton's students will attend sixth grade and beyond.
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