Union Area MS

Union Area MS is a 6-8 campus of rural-scale scale in New Castle, Pennsylvania, operated by Union Area SD, serveing 174 students in grades 6 through 8. That puts it 71% smaller than the typical public school in Pennsylvania, which averages around 594 students.

Union Area MS is one of 3 schools operated by Union Area SD, a district that hosts 687 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Union Area MS lists that the largest single group is White, at 72% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school logs 17% Black, 10% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 90% White, putting the school's mix visibly less White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, The school reports having 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 14.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.2:1, putting Union Area MS higher than the state norm the norm. Around 93% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. By comparison, Lawrence County runs at roughly 67%, so the school's eligibility rate is meaningfully above the surrounding baseline.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Union Area MS sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 37.9%; this one delivers 44.4%.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Lawrence County) logs that median household earnings sit near $61,931, about 23% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 8%. Union Area MS is one of 25 public schools in Lawrence County (combined enrollment of about 11,015 students).

Union Area HS is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.0 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Union Area MS ranks 4th on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 43.6%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Union Area MS's enrollment has climbed 4% since 2018, when it stood at 167 (now 174). White enrollment moved from 87% to 72% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 20.9:1 in 2018 to 14.9:1 today.

On allk12, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.