These 25 public elementary schools were named the best in Pennsylvania. See the list
Pennsylvania’s top 25 public elementary schools are all located near Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, according to Niche, a site offering data on schools and colleges across the country.
Reviews and data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education, Common Core Data, Civil Rights Data Collection and more fuel Niche’s rankings. The Pittsburgh-headquartered school search platform ranks public elementary schools through the following categories:
Academics grade, which is based on state assessment proficiency, district academics grade, student-to-teacher ratios and parent or student surveys on academics
Diversity grade, which is based on a student racial diversity index, parent or student surveys on culture and diversity, economically disadvantaged percentages and gender diversity
Teachers grade, which is based on the academics grade, parent or student surveys on educators, teacher absenteeism, salary index, the portion of teachers in their first or second year of teaching, average salary and student-to-teacher ratio
Niche breaks down its overall grades into the following segments:
Academics grade: 50%
Teachers grade: 20%
District overall Niche grade: 15%
Culture and diversity grade: 10%
Parent/student surveys on overall experience: 5%
Pennsylvania’s top 25 schools received “A+” grades, though their strengths and achievements vary. Here’s a brief look at how the institutions compared.
25. New Eagle Elementary School
Location: Wayne, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Niche calls New Eagle Elementary School a “top-rated” school with a 15-1 student-to-teacher ratio. The school’s most recent standardized test scores showed roughly 82% of its 516 students are proficient in math, while about 92% of students are proficient or better in reading.
24. South Fayette Township Elementary School
Location: McDonald, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity
Another top-rated school, South Fayette Township Elementary has a 17-1 student-to-teacher ratio, Niche reports. The institution’s latest batch of test scores indicated at least 98% of its 723 students are proficient or better in math, while about 96% are proficient or better in reading.
23. O’Hara Elementary School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
Niche reports a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio at O’Hara Elementary School. Its 671 students recently posted respective proficiency rates of 86% and 92% in math and reading, according to the latest test scores.
22. Baker Elementary School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity
Another Pittsburgh-based school, Baker Elementary School has a 16-1 student-to-teacher ratio with 433 students in its care. Its most recent batch of test scores reports proficiency rates of 87% and 92% for math and reading, respectively.
21. Swarthmore-Rutledge School
Location: Swarthmore, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
Swarthmore-Rutledge School posts a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio with a student body of 561 students, Niche reports. Roughly 82% and 90% of the school’s 561 students are proficient or better in math and reading, respectively.
20. Hosack Elementary School
Location: Allison Park, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Out in the Pittsburgh suburbs, Hosack Elementary School boasts a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Recent standardized test scores found at least 77% of the school’s 373 students are proficient or better in math, while at least 87% are proficient or better in reading.
19. Wallingford Elementary School
Location: Wallingford, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
This top-rated public school offers a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio. At least 77% of its 554 students are at least proficient in math, while roughly 90% of its students are proficient or better in reading.
18. Foster Elementary School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity
Back in Pittsburgh, this school boasts a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio spread across 252 students. Foster Elementary School’s most recent test scores indicated proficiency rates of 87% and 92%, respectively, for math and reading.
17. Markham Elementary School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and C diversity
Markham Elementary School joins Foster Elementary School in Pittsburgh’s Mt. Lebanon School District. With 305 students in its care, this school posts a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio and proficiency rates of 87% and 95%, respectively, in math and reading, according to the latest standardized tests.
16. Devon Elementary School
Location: Devon, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity
Devon Elementary School educates 406 students and offers a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Its most recent test scores indicate proficiency rates of 82% and 92% in math and reading, respectively.
15. Fairview Elementary School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity
Another Pittsburgh School, Fairview Elementary School has a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio. The school’s latest batch of standardized test scores indicate proficiency rates of 92% and 95% for math and reading for its 397 students, respectively.
14. Radnor Elementary School
Location: Radnor, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Back near Philadelphia, Radnor Elementary School has a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio with 595 students in its care. The school’s students are at least 75% proficient in math and roughly 87% proficient in reading, according to test scores.
13. Hillside Elementary School
Location: Berwyn, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Hillside Elementary School boasts a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio throughout the school, which offers grades K through four. According to state test scores, 87% of the school’s 428 students are proficient or better in math, while 92% are proficient or better in reading.
12. Cynwyd Elementary School
Location: Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Cynwyd Elementary School, aptly named after its location, has a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio. At least 86% of its 560 students are at least proficient in math, while roughly 89% of its students are proficient or better in reading.
11. Peebles Elementary School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
Peebles Elementary School boasts a 14-1 teacher-to-student ratio with 419 students in its care. Recent standardized test scores found at least 82% of the school’s students are proficient or better in math, while at least 87% are proficient or better in reading.
10. Penn Wynne School
Location: Wynnewood, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A teachers and A- diversity
Penn Wynne School maintains a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio across a student body of 760 students. Its most recent standardized tests showed math and reading proficiency rates of 85% and 89%, respectively.
9. Wayne Elementary School
Location: Wayne, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Wayne Elementary School offers a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio spread across 537 students. Its most recent standardized test scores indicated proficiency rates of 76% for math and 87% for reading, Niche reports.
8. Penn Valley School
Location: Narberth, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity
Penn Valley School boasts a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio covering 638 K through five students. Recent standardized test scores found proficiency rates of 81% in math and 87% in reading.
7. Merion Elementary School
Location: Merion Station, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
With 579 students, Merion Elementary School offers a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Its most recent batch of standardized test scores indicated proficiency rates of 84% for math and 90% for reading.
6. Marshall Elementary School
Location: Wexford, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity
Back near Pittsburgh, Marshall Elementary School has a 15-1 student-to-teacher ratio across 903 students. State standardized test reports indicate proficiency rates of 83% in math and 87% in reading.
5. Hoover Elementary School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
This top-rated Pittsburgh-area school offers a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio among 275 students. Hoover Elementary School’s students produced proficiency rates of 82% in math and 92% in reading through standardized tests, Niche reports.
4. Bradford Woods Elementary School
Location: Bradford Woods, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Bradford Woods Elementary School owns a 16-1 student-to-teacher ratio with 488 students in its care. A recent batch of standardized test scores showed proficiency rates of 87% and 91% in math and reading, respectively.
3. Franklin Elementary School
Location: Sewickley, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
This top-rated school offers a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio with 377 students under its wings. According to standardized test scores, roughly 88% of Franklin Elementary School’s students are proficient or better in math, while 95% of students are proficient or better in reading.
2. The Souderton Charter School Collaborative
Location: Souderton, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity
This charter school located in the Philadelphia suburbs hosts 235 students and has an impressive 10-1 student-to-teacher ratio, Niche reports. About 82% of the Souderton Charter School Collective’s students are at least proficient in math, while roughly 92% of them are at least proficient in reading.
1. Ithan Elementary School
Location: Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity
Finally, the top-rated public elementary school in Niche’s Pennsylvania database is Ithan Elementary School, which hosts 470 students and offers a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Roughly 85% and 92% of its students are proficient or better in math and reading, respectively.
