Enrollment
308
Elementary
DISTRICT 203 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·BENTON AREA SD·NCES 420339001594
L R Appleman Elementary School
525 Park Street, Benton, PA 17814 · (570) 925-6971 · Columbia County
GRADES KG–06ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL308 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
9.8:1
31 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.3:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
305 students
DISTRICT 98% · 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 | 44 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 51 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 43 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 37 | 12% |
| Grade 4 | 46 | 15% |
| Grade 5 | 42 | 14% |
| Grade 6 | 45 | 15% |
This year's kindergarten class (44) is about the same size as its 6th grade class (45).
Student demographics
10%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 10% · 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
Based on grade levels within Benton Area SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
QUIET COMMUNITY
Be the first to start a discussion at L R Appleman Elementary School.
START A DISCUSSIONTest scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
67.1%
PA avg 51.1% . -1.6pp since 2023
Math
72.0%
PA avg 43.0% . +7.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 67 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 72 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 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 8 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 67.1% | 72.0% |
| 2023-24 | 68.7% | 64.4% |
% 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
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of PA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
70.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.1%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+35.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 71% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 35% typical for Pennsylvania schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 36 points, placing it in Pennsylvania's top 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 L R Appleman Elementary School
L R Appleman Elementary School's state test result (70.9% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| L R Appleman Elementary School this school | 308 | 99.0% | 70.9% |
| Clark Wood Elementary School Elkland | 303 | 99.7% | 43.7% |
| Cochranton Elementary School Cochranton | 311 | 99.0% | 46.4% |
| Sullivan Co Elementary School Laporte | 306 | 99.0% | 44.6% |
| West Snyder Elementary School Beaver Springs | 335 | 98.2% | 57.0% |
| North Clarion Co Elementary School Tionesta | 334 | 99.1% | 56.6% |
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 L R Appleman Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Columbia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 70.9% | #273 of 1,396 | #2 of 7 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 72.0% | #243 of 1,511 ▲ 126 | #2 of 7 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 67.1% | #268 of 1,511 ▲ 102 | #1 of 7 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 308 | #1,218 of 1,638 | #5 of 8 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 9.8:1 | #70 of 1,528 | #1 of 7 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 10.0% | #1,427 of 1,531 | #6 of 7 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.0% | #382 of 1,600 | #2 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -20.4% | #271 of 1,045 | N/A |
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
308
-43 (-12%) vs 2020
-33% since 1990-91, when it was 459
Student : Teacher
9.8:1
was 12.1:1
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 | 308 | 31.4 | 9.8:1 | 99% (305) |
| 2023-24 | 307 | 31.4 | 9.8:1 | 99% (304) |
| 2022-23 | 316 | 30.4 | 10.4:1 | 53% (166) |
| 2020-21 | 351 | 29 | 12.1:1 | 43% (150) |
| 2017-18 | 387 | 32.5 | 11.9:1 | 44% (169) |
| 2015-16 | 371 | 31 | 12.0:1 | 37% (139) |
| 2010-11 | 368 | 31 | 11.9:1 | 47% (174) |
| 2000-01 | 423 | 28 | 15.1:1 | 32% (137) |
| 1990-91 | 459 | 24 | 19.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for L R Appleman Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 20% (387 to 308); teachers down 3% (32.5 to 31.4).
About L R Appleman Elementary School
L R Appleman Elementary School, a low-enrollment elementary school, is located in Benton, Pennsylvania. Its enrollment is 308 students, spread over kindergarten through 6. That compares with an average of about 443 students for elementary schools in Pennsylvania.
L R Appleman Elementary School is among 3 schools run by Benton Area SD, which serves 608 students.
Of every 100 students at L R Appleman Elementary School, about 95 are White. After that, the student body is 3% Hispanic. Census estimates put Columbia County at about 91% White, close to the school's figure. A diversity index of 10% means there is a 10% chance two randomly chosen students at L R Appleman Elementary School are from different groups.
There are about 9.8 students for every full-time-equivalent teacher at L R Appleman Elementary School, which has 31.4. Elementary schools in Pennsylvania have an average ratio of 13.1:1. Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch stands at 99%. The rate at public schools in Columbia County averages 56%, lower than here.
On allk12's BeatsExpectations measure, L R Appleman Elementary School is among the top 10% of schools in Pennsylvania. Predicted: 35.1%. Actual: 70.9%.
In the wider Columbia County area, the median household earns about $64,644 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 27% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 8%. L R Appleman Elementary School shares Columbia County with 19 other public schools.
Of the public schools around it, L R Appleman Elementary School is closest to Benton Area Middle School, about 0.2 miles away. There are 2 other public schools within five miles. Nearby schools average 48.5% on proficiency, and L R Appleman Elementary School is above that at 70.9%.
Under the NCES locale system, L R Appleman Elementary School is Rural: Distant.
Since 2020-21, enrollment has fallen 12%, from 351 to 308. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio dropped to 9.8:1, from 12.1:1.
This community page is for conversations about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures. You can also rate the school on this page.
Columbia County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
65,362
Census ACS
Median income
$64,644
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
27%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
20
7,501 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Benton Area SD
- Benton Area High SchoolHigh · 200 students
- Benton Area Middle SchoolMiddle · 100 students
Other schools in Benton
- Benton Area High SchoolHigh · 200 students
- Benton Area Middle SchoolMiddle · 100 students
Nearby schools
- Benton Area Middle School0.2 mi · 100
- Benton Area High School0.2 mi · 200
- Northwest Area Primary School7.6 mi · 215
- Millville Area Elementary School9.3 mi · 291
- Millville Area JSHS9.3 mi · 234
- Northwest Area High School9.9 mi · 406
Frequently asked questions
About L R Appleman Elementary SchoolHow many students attend L R Appleman Elementary School?
L R Appleman Elementary School enrolls approximately 308 students in grades KG-06.
Is L R Appleman Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
L R Appleman Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-06.
How many students per teacher at L R Appleman Elementary School?
Approximately 9.8:1 students per teacher at L R Appleman Elementary School.
What is the student diversity at L R Appleman Elementary School?
Student demographics at L R Appleman Elementary School are roughly 95% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian.
What district is L R Appleman Elementary School in?
L R Appleman Elementary School is part of Benton Area SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.