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Parents: what's one thing you'd want the Fort Cherry El Ctr administration to hear?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
455
Elementary
DISTRICT 456 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FORT CHERRY SD·NCES 420996007270
Fort Cherry El Center
110 Fort Cherry Road, Mc Donald, PA 15057 · (724) 796-1551 · Washington County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL455 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 83% 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.
- A-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
12.1:1
37 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.2:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
51%
234 students
DISTRICT 51% · 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
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 75 | 16% |
| Grade 1 | 76 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 53 | 12% |
| Grade 3 | 64 | 14% |
| Grade 4 | 58 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 65 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 64 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (75) is 17% larger than its 6th grade class (64).
Student demographics
19%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 19% · 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
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Fort Cherry El Center→Fort Cherry JSHS
Based on grade levels within Fort Cherry SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
63.5%
PA avg 51.1% . -8.8pp since 2023
Math
63.1%
PA avg 43.0% . +0.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 64 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 63 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 9 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 63.5% | 63.1% |
| 2023-24 | 72.3% | 62.5% |
% 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 · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
68.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.6%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+12.6pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 68% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 56% 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 Fort Cherry El Center
Fort Cherry El Center's state test result (68.2% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 4 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Cherry El Center this school | 455 | 51.4% | 68.2% |
| Selinsgrove Area Elementary School Selinsgrove | 472 | 50.8% | N/A |
| Bon Air Elementary School Lower Burrell | 447 | 50.8% | 59.7% |
| Burgettstown El Center Burgettstown | 430 | 52.6% | 57.0% |
| Ward L Myers Elementary School Muncy | 451 | 48.6% | 53.5% |
| Lackawanna Trail El Center Factoryville | 505 | 50.9% | 53.8% |
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 Fort Cherry El Center ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Washington County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 68.2% | #350 of 1,396 | #11 of 25 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 63.1% | #447 of 1,511 ▼ 25 | #11 of 25 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.5% | #342 of 1,511 ▼ 65 | #12 of 25 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 455 | #669 of 1,638 | #13 of 26 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.1:1 | #476 of 1,528 | #7 of 24 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 19.4% | #1,197 of 1,531 | #17 of 24 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 51.4% | #973 of 1,600 | #14 of 25 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -14.8% | #449 of 1,045 | #9 of 16 |
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
455
+20 (+5%) vs 2020
-44% since 1990-91, when it was 809
Student : Teacher
12.1:1
was 11.4:1
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 | 455 | 37.5 | 12.1:1 | 51% (234) |
| 2023-24 | 475 | 39.6 | 12.0:1 | 49% (234) |
| 2022-23 | 455 | 38.8 | 11.7:1 | 46% (211) |
| 2020-21 | 435 | 38 | 11.4:1 | 45% (194) |
| 2017-18 | 534 | 39 | 13.7:1 | 35% (189) |
| 2015-16 | 535 | 41 | 13.1:1 | 45% (243) |
| 2010-11 | 567 | 44 | 12.9:1 | 20% (114) |
| 2000-01 | 728 | 46 | 15.8:1 | 32% (230) |
| 1990-91 | 809 | 40 | 20.2:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Fort Cherry El Center.
Since 2017-18: students down 15% (534 to 455); teachers down 4% (39 to 37.5).
About Fort Cherry El Center
Fort Cherry El Center is a mid-sized elementary school in Pennsylvania, with an address in Mc Donald. The school counted 455 students in 2024-25, covering kindergarten through 6.
Within Fort Cherry SD, Fort Cherry El Center is one of 2 schools. The district enrolls 912 students.
The share of White students at Fort Cherry El Center is 89%. Other groups make up 7% multiracial and 3% Hispanic. In Washington County overall, the White share is about 90%. On the diversity index, which measures the chance that two random students are from different groups, Fort Cherry El Center scores 19%.
A staff of 37.5 full-time-equivalent teachers puts the student-to-teacher ratio at 12.1:1. The average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania, 13.1:1, is higher. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 51%. That is in line with the 49% average for public schools in Washington County.
Fort Cherry El Center earns an A- on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 83% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools.
Fort Cherry El Center is 12.6 points above its predicted average proficiency rate across its state test results (68.2% versus 55.6%), which places it in neither the top nor the bottom 10% in Pennsylvania.
American Community Survey estimates for Washington County show that the median household earns about $78,958 a year, about 33% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and roughly 6% of residents are in poverty. Washington County has 56 public schools with about 26,079 students, including Fort Cherry El Center.
A public school less than a tenth of a mile away, Fort Cherry JSHS, is the closest to Fort Cherry El Center. The count of other public schools within five miles is 2. Among its closest neighbors with test data, Fort Cherry El Center is 6th of 8 on proficiency.
Locale data from NCES put Fort Cherry El Center in rural territory close to an urban area (Rural: Fringe).
The school grew from 435 students in 2020-21 to 455 in 2024-25.
On allk12, people connected to Fort Cherry El Center can post about pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Washington County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
210,042
Census ACS
Median income
$78,958
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
56
26,079 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Mc Donald
- Fort Cherry JSHSHigh · 457 students
- Cecil Intrmd SchoolMiddle · 412 students
Nearby schools
- Fort Cherry JSHS0.1 mi · 457
- Cecil Intrmd School3.5 mi · 412
- Donaldson Elementary School5.7 mi · 535
- Muse Elementary School5.8 mi · 759
- South Fayette Elementary School6.2 mi · 717
- South Fayette Middle School6.2 mi · 859
Frequently asked questions
About Fort Cherry El CenterHow many students attend Fort Cherry El Center?
Fort Cherry El Center enrolls approximately 455 students in grades KG-06.
Is Fort Cherry El Center an elementary, middle, or high school?
Fort Cherry El Center is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many teachers does Fort Cherry El Center have?
Fort Cherry El Center employs 37 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.1:1.
What is the student diversity at Fort Cherry El Center?
Student demographics at Fort Cherry El Center are roughly 89% White, 3% Hispanic, 0% Black, 0% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Fort Cherry El Center in?
Fort Cherry El Center is part of Fort Cherry SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.