The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in Science. The lowest is 6% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Ferguson Sch
Ferguson School serves grades pre-K through eight in York, a small city in south-central Pennsylvania that sits about a short drive north of the Maryland border. The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with a substantial share of whom qualify for federal free and reduced-price lunch assistance. All of the school's students qualify for that program, a marker of concentrated economic need. The enrollment is moderate in size for its grade band, distributed across ten grades from pre-K through eighth grade.
The school is part of York City School District, which in late 2022 became the first Pennsylvania district ever to exit state financial recovery status, ending roughly a decade of intensive oversight. That milestone reflects sustained institutional improvement and a shift back to local control. More recently, the district received a material increase in state funding under Pennsylvania's newly enacted adequacy formula for 2024-25, which is enabling the district to add staff, programs, and resources. For families considering Ferguson, this signals a district in recovery mode with fresh investment and operational breathing room.
Academic performance at Ferguson reflects significant challenges. State assessment results from 2024-25 show that a small portion of students met proficiency in English language arts and mathematics, with math proficiency particularly low. Science results from 2022-23 were also below proficiency benchmarks. Across the state assessment subjects tested, Ferguson's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in York County. These results suggest that the majority of students are working below grade-level benchmarks in core subjects, and a parent considering this school should engage directly with staff about what supports exist, what instructional approaches are in place, and what the school's improvement trajectory looks like.
York itself is a walkable historic city with a dense downtown core that has been undergoing steady revitalization. The downtown blends restored architecture with restaurants, breweries, and cultural venues, and recent major projects such as the York County History Center and the Yorktowne Hotel redevelopment have added new anchors. The broader region, including York Township just outside the city, is seeing residential growth with new townhome and single-family developments underway. Housing in the area is somewhat more affordable than the Pennsylvania and national median, with mortgage costs moderate and rents steady.
The district landscape around York includes other schools and districts in the county, giving families in the area options. Parents weighing Ferguson should view it as a school serving a densely concentrated, economically high-need population in an urban setting, with academic results that reflect the magnitude of that challenge and a district that is actively investing in turnaround. The school's fit depends on what family priorities are: families seeking strong state assessment performance may want to look further; families committed to staying within the city and seeking community-embedded education with fresh district support should learn more directly from school leadership about their specific offerings and plans.
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