Enrollment
408
Elementary
DISTRICT 490 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WEST CHESTER AREA SD·NCES 422529001454
Fern Hill Elementary School
915 Lincoln Ave, West Chester, PA 19380 · (484) 266-1600 · Chester County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL408 STUDENTS
B
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 61% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+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
Student : Teacher
10.3:1
40 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.7:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
22%
91 students
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 75%
Community
0
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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 68 | 17% |
| Grade 1 | 73 | 18% |
| Grade 2 | 54 | 13% |
| Grade 3 | 76 | 19% |
| Grade 4 | 61 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 76 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (68) is 11% smaller than its 5th grade class (76).
Student demographics
51%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 47% · STATE 59% · US 70%
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
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
62.6%
PA avg 51.1% . -15.3pp since 2023
Math
60.4%
PA avg 43.0% . -3.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 60 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 15 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 3 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 62.6% | 60.4% |
| 2023-24 | 77.9% | 63.4% |
% 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
68.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
68.0%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 68% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 68% 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 Fern Hill Elementary School
Fern Hill Elementary School's state test result (68.4% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fern Hill Elementary School this school | 408 | 22.3% | 68.4% |
| J H Brooks Elementary School Moon Township | 382 | 27.5% | 81.9% |
| South Hanover Elementary School Hershey | 371 | 19.4% | 79.7% |
| Reidenbaugh Elementary School Lititz | 488 | 21.5% | 79.8% |
| Oak Ridge Elementary School Harleysville | 420 | 19.5% | 63.8% |
| North Wales Elementary School North Wales | 484 | 26.4% | 69.0% |
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 Fern Hill Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Chester County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 68.4% | #341 of 1,396 | #34 of 54 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 60.4% | #528 of 1,511 ▼ 132 | #44 of 56 ▼ 8 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 62.6% | #367 of 1,511 ▼ 204 | #37 of 56 ▼ 16 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 408 | #851 of 1,638 | #48 of 62 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.3:1 | #122 of 1,528 | #2 of 60 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 51.2% | #520 of 1,531 | #32 of 60 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 22.3% | #1,417 of 1,600 | #34 of 61 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -26.8% | #150 of 1,045 | #5 of 40 |
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 2024-25Enrollment
408
-158 (-28%) vs 2020
-16% since 1990-91, when it was 487
Student : Teacher
10.3:1
was 13.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 408 | 39.5 | 10.3:1 | 22% (91) |
| 2023-24 | 410 | 38 | 10.8:1 | 22% (91) |
| 2022-23 | 391 | 37 | 10.6:1 | 24% (95) |
| 2020-21 | 566 | 41 | 13.8:1 | 22% (127) |
| 2017-18 | 557 | 39.2 | 14.2:1 | 23% (128) |
| 2015-16 | 510 | 34 | 15.0:1 | 19% (97) |
| 2010-11 | 461 | 31 | 14.9:1 | 16% (74) |
| 2000-01 | 517 | 28 | 18.5:1 | 8% (40) |
| 1990-91 | 487 | 30 | 16.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Fern Hill Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 27% (557 to 408); teachers up 1% (39.2 to 39.5).
About Fern Hill Elementary School
Fern Hill Elementary School serves students in West Chester, Pennsylvania, as a mid-sized elementary school. In all, 408 students attend the school in kindergarten through 5.
West Chester Area SD has a total of 17 schools and 11,987 students, Fern Hill Elementary School among them.
The share of White students at Fern Hill Elementary School is 68%, a majority. Other students are 10% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 7% multiracial, and 5% Black. That is lower than the 77% White share among all Chester County residents. A diversity index of 51% means there is a 51% chance two randomly chosen students at Fern Hill Elementary School are from different groups.
On staff are 39.5 full-time-equivalent teachers; the student-to-teacher ratio is 10.3:1. Statewide, elementary schools in Pennsylvania average 13.1:1. Fern Hill Elementary School has a free or reduced-price lunch rate of 22%. For comparison, public schools in Chester County average 38%.
On the allk12 Grade, Fern Hill Elementary School lands at B, ahead of 61% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools.
Compared with Pennsylvania schools that have similar shares of low-income students, Fern Hill Elementary School's results are within a point of predicted: 68.4% against 68.0%.
Looking at the county, Chester County, median household income comes to about $127,208, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 57% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 4%. The county's public schools total 111, with about 83,468 students.
Among nearby public schools, West Chester Henderson High School is closest at about 0.8 miles. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Among the 7 closest schools with test data, this one included, Fern Hill Elementary School ranks 1st on average proficiency.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as Suburb: Large, meaning it is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Fern Hill Elementary School had a net loss of 158 students, or 28%. The school's ratio dropped from 13.8:1 to 10.3:1 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
The allk12 page for Fern Hill Elementary School lets the school community talk about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Chester County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
547,840
Census ACS
Median income
$127,208
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
57%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
111
83,468 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in West Chester Area SD
- West Chester Henderson High SchoolHigh · 1,444 students
- West Chester East High SchoolHigh · 1,216 students
- West Chester Bayard Rustin High SchoolHigh · 1,159 students
- E N Peirce Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,040 students
- J R Fugett Middle SchoolMiddle · 930 students
- Stetson Middle SchoolMiddle · 808 students
Other schools in West Chester
- Pennsylvania Leadership CSCombined · 2,874 students
- West Chester Henderson High SchoolHigh · 1,444 students
- West Chester East High SchoolHigh · 1,216 students
- West Chester Bayard Rustin High SchoolHigh · 1,159 students
- E N Peirce Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,040 students
- 21st Century Cyber CSHigh · 996 students
Other Fern Hill Elementary schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Fern Hill Elementary. Fern Hill Elementary School is the largest of the 3.
- Fern Hill Elementary SchoolTacoma, WA · 311 students
- Fern Hill Elementary SchoolForest Grove, OR · 249 students
Nearby schools
- West Chester Henderson High School0.8 mi · 1,444
- 21st Century Cyber CS1.1 mi · 996
- J R Fugett Middle School1.2 mi · 930
- West Chester East High School1.2 mi · 1,216
- Glen Acres Elementary School1.2 mi · 451
- Greystone Elementary School1.7 mi · 511
Frequently asked questions
About Fern Hill Elementary SchoolHow large is Fern Hill Elementary School?
Fern Hill Elementary School enrolls approximately 408 students in grades KG-05.
Is Fern Hill Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Fern Hill Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Fern Hill Elementary School have?
Fern Hill Elementary School employs 40 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 10.3:1.
What is the student diversity at Fern Hill Elementary School?
Student demographics at Fern Hill Elementary School are roughly 68% White, 10% Hispanic, 5% Black, 9% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Fern Hill Elementary School in?
Fern Hill Elementary School is part of West Chester Area SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.