Priestley School

Priestley School is a small elementary school in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, under Shikellamy SD. The grade span is kindergarten through 2, and enrollment is 250 students. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Pennsylvania is about 443, so this school runs 44% smaller than that.

The 5 schools of Shikellamy SD, including Priestley School, enroll 2,682 students.

White students make up a majority at Priestley School, at 74%. Smaller groups are 15% Hispanic, 7% multiracial, and 3% Black. For comparison, the population of Northumberland County is roughly 90% White. The school's diversity index is 42%, meaning two students picked at random have a 42% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.

With 15.8 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25, the ratio at Priestley School was 15.8:1. This ratio sits 2.7 above the 13.1:1 average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania. A measure often used for student poverty, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, stands at 98%. It compares with 86% for public schools in Northumberland County.

County data help place the school in context: in Northumberland County, the median household income is $60,583, roughly 19% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Northumberland County is home to 23 public schools and about 10,386 public school students.

The shortest distance from Priestley School to another public school is about 0.9 miles, to Shikellamy Middle School. Counting only straight-line distance, 4 other public schools are within five miles.

The school is in a town some distance from an urbanized area, according to its NCES locale (Town: Distant).

The school enrolled 250 students in 2024-25, 107 fewer than the 357 it had in 2020-21. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 22.3:1 in 2020-21 to 15.8:1 in 2024-25.

Questions about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news can be posted here. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.