The top reported proficiency rate is 93% in Science. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Fairview El Sch
Fairview Elementary serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Midland, a small Ohio River borough roughly 25-30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh that has spent the past half-century rebuilding after the collapse of the steel industry. The school sits in a community whose major employers now include education and arts organizations rather than mills; the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School and the Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center are the largest employers, anchoring a transition from manufacturing to services and education.
The school enrolls a small population. Just under half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. Racially and ethnically, the enrollment is predominantly white, with very small numbers of students of color. State testing data from the most recent year shows proficiency in English language arts at just under three-fifths across grades three through five; math proficiency is lower, at about two-fifths. Science proficiency, measured most recently in the 2022-23 school year, was very strong, above nine-tenths. The school's overall proficiency index places it in the top quartile among school buildings across the county's districts.
The reading in the data is thus split. Science is a clear strength. English language arts shows moderate proficiency; math shows room for growth. A parent considering the school might ask about approaches to math instruction and what support structures exist for students working below grade level in that subject, and might look into the school's broader literacy framework.
Midland itself is a compact mill-era borough with a grid street layout centered on Midland Avenue (Pennsylvania Route 68). The borough has no public transportation. Schools and civic anchors sit in or near the downtown corridor rather than on the outskirts: Fairview's location on Ridgemont Drive places it just off the main thoroughfare, within the walkable core. The Carnegie Free Library, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, and district offices cluster along the numbered streets nearby. Most families drive for school pickup and for shopping; larger retail and employment centers are 8-10 miles away in the valley.
The borough's long trajectory is one of population decline from its steel-industry peak, with the decline steeper in recent decades. It has not experienced significant new residential construction. Housing costs are modest relative to the state and national averages, making Midland an affordable entry point for homeownership, though the long-run economic picture hinges on whether education and arts employment, plus the jobs from the new Shell petrochemical plant in nearby Potter Township, anchor a stable future.
The district itself, Western Beaver County School District, completed a county-wide property reassessment in 2024 that reset school property tax baselines; the district capped tax-rate increases at the state index. For families budgeting school costs, the district has moved to a one-to-one device model for students in grades four through twelve, meaning families are expected to provide or procure a device. The district also recently installed stadium lights and launched Friday Night Football, funded by state grant so no local tax impact.
For a family considering Fairview, the school offers foundational academics in a small, tight-knit building in an affordable, tight-knit borough. Science instruction stands out. Reading and math show room to ask questions about instructional strategy and remediation. The broader Midland setting is residential, car-dependent, and economically modest, with an arts and education identity that the borough is actively trying to build.
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