The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Science. The lowest is 19% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Turner Intermediate Sch
Turner Intermediate serves grades three through six in Wilkinsburg, a dense borough on Pittsburgh's eastern edge that is experiencing renewed investment after decades of decline. The school's academic results are a significant area for consideration for families weighing this option.
In math, about one in five students reached proficiency on the most recent state assessment. English language arts proficiency was even lower, with roughly one in five students meeting the standard. Science results from an earlier year sat higher, with better than one in three students proficient. Across the tested subjects, Turner's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among the county's schools with available data. These results are real and worth understanding clearly: they show that a substantial majority of students have not yet met grade-level standards in core academic areas.
The school serves a student population that is almost entirely economically disadvantaged, with every student qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black, with a small share of Hispanic and multiracial students and very few white students. This composition reflects the demographics of Wilkinsburg itself, a borough with a sizable Black population and lower median household income than the surrounding region.
Enrollment is small for an intermediate school, around two hundred students spread across the four grades. The school sits within the borough's residential fabric on Laketon Road rather than in a separated suburban setting. Turner feeds into Pittsburgh Westinghouse Academy 6-12, where Wilkinsburg students in grades seven and twelve attend as part of an extended partnership with Pittsburgh Public Schools. This arrangement gives older students access to Pittsburgh's magnet schools, career and technical education programs, advanced placement courses, and the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship, though it means families are sending their children outside Wilkinsburg for secondary education.
Wilkinsburg itself is in active transformation. The borough is walkable, with bus rapid transit via the East Busway connecting residents to downtown Pittsburgh in a short ride. After more than fifty years of population loss, Wilkinsburg is reporting growth in population, residential sales, and workforce numbers. Major projects underway include the Penn Lincoln Apartments, a new grocery store, redevelopment of the historic train station, and upgrades to transit infrastructure. The downtown is clustered around Penn Avenue and Wood Street with a designated historic district and commercial focus, though about forty vacant buildings remain priorities for reuse.
Housing in the zip code is affordable by regional standards, with median home values substantially below state and national benchmarks. The mortgage cost to income ratio is favorable, and rents are climbing modestly. The rental market shows steady demand, and listing inventory has grown. For buyers or renters seeking affordability near Pittsburgh with walkable access and active neighborhood change, Wilkinsburg is genuinely different from suburban alternatives.
For families considering Turner, the academic profile warrants a direct conversation with the school about supports for students working below grade level, how instruction is differentiated, what interventions are in place, and what progress the school is making. The low proficiency numbers suggest that many students will need sustained, targeted help to catch up. At the same time, families attracted to Wilkinsburg's walkable urban character, affordable housing, and proximity to Pittsburgh, and comfortable with a small school serving a predominantly Black, low-income neighborhood, will have concrete reasons to look deeper.
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