Fort Cherry JSHS

Located at 110 Fort Cherry Road, in Mc Donald, Pennsylvania, Fort Cherry JSHS is a compact secondary school that teaches 457 students (grades 7 through 12), run under Fort Cherry SD. Compared to the state average of about 738 students per school, that is 38% smaller than typical.

Across the 2 schools in Fort Cherry SD (912 students total), Fort Cherry JSHS accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Demographically, Fort Cherry JSHS records that 90% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority. Beyond that, the school lists 6% multiracial, 2% Hispanic. That mix tracks the wider county fairly closely.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Staff filings list 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 12.3:1 students per teacher. The state averages about 12.8:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 51% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Fort Cherry JSHS performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 55.9%, the actual is 48.9%, a residual of -7.0 points.

Around the school, Washington County reports that the typical household earns roughly $78,958 per year, roughly 33% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Washington County runs 56 public schools (combined enrollment of about 26,079 students), of which Fort Cherry JSHS is one.

The closest other public school is Fort Cherry El Ctr, roughly 0.1 miles away. 2 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Fort Cherry JSHS at 8th of 8; the average score across the group is 77.1%.

The campus sits in a countryside setting.

Looking at the recent track record. Over the past 7-year window, the student count edged down 8%: 499 students in 2018 compared to 457 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 95% to 90%.

On this page, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.