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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HAZLETON AREA SD·NCES 421170000547

Drums El/MS

85 South Old Turnpike Road, Drums, PA 18222 · (570) 459-3111 · Luzerne County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL842 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 46% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools
  • CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
  • B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
  • ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.

Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Pennsylvania public elementary schools

Enrollment
842
Elementary
DISTRICT 877 · STATE 443
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
51 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
95%
801 students
DISTRICT 96% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.

Enrollment by grade, 2024-25

GradeStudentsShare
Kindergarten11213%
Grade 1779%
Grade 210312%
Grade 310613%
Grade 49311%
Grade 58410%
Grade 6779%
Grade 710112%
Grade 88911%

This year's kindergarten class (112) is 26% larger than its 8th grade class (89).

Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 44% · STATE 59% · US 70%
White
52662%
DISTRICT 27% · STATE 60% · US 43%
Hispanic
25030%
DISTRICT 70% · STATE 16% · US 30%
Black
263%
DISTRICT 2% · STATE 14% · US 15%
Asian
111%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 5% · US 6%
Two+
243%
DISTRICT 1% · STATE 5% · US 5%
Native American
30%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 1%
Pacific Islander
20%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0% · US 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
44553%
Female
39747%

School pathway

Students here typically continue to
Drums El/MS→Hazleton Area High School
Based on grade levels within Hazleton Area SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.

Discussions

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Test scores

PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or Advanced
English Language Arts
49.1%
PA avg 51.1% . -7.6pp since 2023
Math
31.3%
PA avg 43.0% . -1.2pp since 2023

What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 31 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are down about 8 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 1 points.

PSSA + Keystone results by year

School yearEnglish Language ArtsMath
2024-2549.1%31.3%
2023-2456.7%32.5%
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
45.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.8%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.3pp
above demographic expectation

What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% typical for Pennsylvania schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Pennsylvania's top nor bottom 10%.

BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

Schools most like Drums El/MS

Drums El/MS's state test result (45.2% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.

SchoolStudentsLow-incomeProficient
Drums El/MS this school84295.1%45.2%
Valley El/MS
Sugarloaf
95795.1%39.7%
Solomon/Plains Elementary School
Plains
71898.6%46.2%
Swiftwater El Center
Swiftwater
97199.7%50.8%
Dana El Center
Forty Fort
62695.8%40.2%
Shamokin Area Elementary School
Coal Township
83099.6%31.9%
Matched among Pennsylvania elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.

Where Drums El/MS ranks

Among elementary schools
MeasureThis schoolIn PennsylvaniaIn Luzerne County
State test proficiency
ranked highest first
45.2%#977 of 1,396#14 of 27
Math proficiency
ranked highest first
31.3%#1,134 of 1,511
▼ 47
#16 of 27
▼ 3
Reading proficiency
ranked highest first
49.1%#764 of 1,511
▼ 36
#9 of 27
▲ 1
Enrollment
ranked largest first
842#62 of 1,638#7 of 38
Students per teacher
ranked fewest first
16.5:1#1,432 of 1,528#21 of 33
Diversity index
ranked most diverse first
52.0%#501 of 1,531#16 of 33
Free and reduced lunch
ranked highest share first
95.1%#568 of 1,600#17 of 37
Enrollment change since 2017-18
ranked fastest growth first
+15.5%#129 of 450#7 of 18
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.

4-year change

SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
842
+139 (+20%) vs 2020
+41% since 2000-01, when it was 596
Student : Teacher
16.5:1
was 15.3:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Enrollment and staffing by year

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Students per teacherFree and reduced lunch
2024-2584251.116.5:195% (801)
2023-2480150.216.0:1100% (801)
2022-2378449.515.8:1100% (784)
2020-217034615.3:1100% (700)
2017-1872945.915.9:1100% (729)
2015-167784816.2:1100% (778)
2010-118344717.7:128% (237)
2000-015962523.8:10% (0)
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Drums El/MS.

Since 2017-18: students up 16% (729 to 842); teachers up 11% (45.9 to 51.1).

About Drums El/MS

Drums El/MS is a high-enrollment elementary school located in Drums, Pennsylvania. The school's 842 students are in kindergarten through 8. Enrollment is 90% higher than the average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania, which is about 443.

Hazleton Area SD counts 11 schools and 13,071 students, including Drums El/MS.

White students are the majority at Drums El/MS, with 62% of enrollment. Other groups make up 30% Hispanic, 3% Black, and 3% multiracial. The school's White share is 13 points below the 76% share among Luzerne County residents. The school's diversity index is 52%, meaning two students picked at random have a 52% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.

Its teaching staff equals 51.1 full-time positions, a ratio of 16.5:1. That is higher than the 13.1:1 average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania. Free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, a common measure of family income, is 95%. Compared with the 85% average for public schools in Luzerne County, the school's rate is higher.

allk12 grades Drums El/MS a B-. The grade compares the school only with Pennsylvania public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.

On BeatsExpectations, Drums El/MS is 8.3 points above its prediction, a result in the middle 80% of Pennsylvania schools.

According to the American Community Survey, in Luzerne County, the median household income is $63,691, roughly 25% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 11%. There are 65 public schools in Luzerne County, enrolling about 45,209 students in all.

Nearest public school: Hazle Township Early Learning Center, about 2.7 miles away. Within five miles are at least 8 other public schools. On average proficiency, Drums El/MS is 1st of 6 nearby schools with test data.

Drums El/MS falls in the Rural: Fringe locale category, used for schools in rural territory close to an urban area.

Compared with 2020-21, the school had 139 more students in 2024-25. The school's ratio rose from 15.3:1 to 16.5:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

The allk12 site hosts a discussion page for Drums El/MS covering things like sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.

Luzerne County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
327,675
Census ACS
Median income
$63,691
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
65
45,209 students

Quick facts

School name
Drums El/MS
District
Hazleton Area SD
Address
85 South Old Turnpike Road, Drums, PA 18222
Phone
(570) 459-3111
County
Luzerne County
Level
Elementary
Grade range
KG–08
Total enrollment
842
Teachers (FTE)
51
Student–teacher ratio
16.5:1
Free and reduced lunch
801 (95%)
Locale
41-Rural: Fringe
NCES ID
421170000547
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Hazleton Area SD
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Drums El/MS
How many students attend Drums El/MS?
Drums El/MS enrolls approximately 842 students in grades KG-08.
What grades does Drums El/MS serve?
Drums El/MS serves grades KG-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Drums El/MS?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Drums El/MS is approximately 16.5:1 (51 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Drums El/MS?
Drums El/MS reports a student body of 62% White, 30% Hispanic, 3% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Drums El/MS?
Drums El/MS is overseen by Hazleton Area SD in Luzerne County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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