The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Science. The lowest is 7% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Goode Sch
Goode School serves an early-grades population, pre-K through eighth grade, in downtown York. The school enrolls students from a neighborhood where material hardship is the norm: every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with a smaller white population and a handful of students identifying as multiracial. No Asian students are enrolled.
The school's academic performance, as measured by Pennsylvania state testing in recent years, sits well below the proficiency threshold. In English language arts and math testing for grades three through eight, proficiency rates in the most recent year were in the single digits—around one in ten students met or exceeded proficiency. Science results from the previous tested year were stronger, with roughly two out of five students proficient, though that data is from an earlier school year and science testing does not occur annually at this grade span in Pennsylvania. When compared against other districts within York County, Goode's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile among county schools.
The school's enrollment is moderate for its grade span. Prekindergarten and early elementary grades carry more students, with enrollment tapering somewhat in the upper grades. One student is recorded in grade nine, likely a residual or special enrollment.
York City School District, Goode's parent district, underwent a significant governance transition. The district exited state Financial Recovery status in late 2022, becoming the first Pennsylvania district ever to do so and returning decision-making authority to local leaders after roughly a decade under heavy state oversight. That shift has been paired with a material increase in state funding for the 2024-25 school year, with the district receiving a substantially larger appropriation through Pennsylvania's new adequacy-based funding formula. The added resources are explicitly directed toward hiring staff, expanding programs, and acquiring resources—changes that, in a school serving a population facing pervasive economic pressure, could reshape the classroom experience over the next few years.
Goode sits in downtown York, a small historic Pennsylvania city in the midst of steady revitalization. The downtown has seen recent investment in civic anchors, residential conversion of landmark buildings, and new community spaces, most visibly the June 2024 opening of the York County History Center in the redeveloped Steam Plant. Central Market and the Strand Capitol Performing Arts Center anchor the Market District, generating consistent foot traffic. The city is walkable and served by fixed-route public transit. Meanwhile, residential growth is concentrating in surrounding York Township, where new townhome and single-family communities are under way. Housing values and rents in the zip code are modest, and affordability ratios suggest both home purchase and rental remain within reach for working families.
A parent considering Goode should understand that current proficiency results are very low, particularly in math and reading, and that the school serves children facing substantial economic hardship. The recent shift in district governance and a meaningful increase in state funding create a window in which staffing, instructional support, and resources may improve. Whether and how quickly those investments reach individual classrooms and move proficiency would be worth exploring directly with school and district leaders.
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