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What advice would you give to incoming students at Valley El/MS?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
957
Elementary
DISTRICT 877 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HAZLETON AREA SD·NCES 421170009996
Valley El/MS
100 Rock Glen Rd, Sugarloaf, PA 18249 · (570) 459-3111 · Luzerne County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY23-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL957 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 34% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B-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
14.0:1
68 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 16.1:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
95%
910 students
DISTRICT 96% · 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 | 110 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 112 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 99 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 121 | 13% |
| Grade 4 | 101 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 103 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 93 | 10% |
| Grade 7 | 107 | 11% |
| Grade 8 | 111 | 12% |
This year's kindergarten class (110) is about the same size as its 8th grade class (111).
Student demographics
44%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 44% · 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
Valley El/MS→Hazleton Area High School
Based on grade levels within Hazleton Area SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
43.5%
PA avg 51.1% . -7.2pp since 2023
Math
26.4%
PA avg 43.0% . +0.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 44 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 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 7 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 43.5% | 26.4% |
| 2023-24 | 50.7% | 26.3% |
% 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
39.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.8%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.8pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 40% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% 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 Valley El/MS
Valley El/MS's state test result (39.7% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valley El/MS this school | 957 | 95.1% | 39.7% |
| Drums El/MS Drums | 842 | 95.1% | 45.2% |
| Shamokin Area Elementary School Coal Township | 830 | 99.6% | 31.9% |
| Dunmore El Center Dunmore | 824 | 95.9% | 51.7% |
| Brookwood Elementary School Levittown | 975 | 96.2% | 27.8% |
| Dana El Center Forty Fort | 626 | 95.8% | 40.2% |
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 Valley El/MS ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Luzerne County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.7% | #1,068 of 1,396 | #17 of 27 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.4% | #1,207 of 1,511 ▼ 21 | #21 of 27 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 43.5% | #931 of 1,511 ▼ 27 | #11 of 27 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 957 | #38 of 1,638 | #6 of 38 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.0:1 | #1,072 of 1,528 | #8 of 33 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 44.0% | #677 of 1,531 | #19 of 33 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 95.1% | #569 of 1,600 | #18 of 37 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.4% | #374 of 450 | #16 of 18 |
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
957
+74 (+8%) vs 2020
-12% since 2000-01, when it was 1,086
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
was 14.5:1
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 | 957 | 68.3 | 14.0:1 | 95% (910) |
| 2023-24 | 910 | 67.1 | 13.6:1 | 100% (910) |
| 2022-23 | 911 | 69.9 | 13.0:1 | 100% (911) |
| 2020-21 | 883 | 61 | 14.5:1 | 100% (880) |
| 2017-18 | 935 | 61.6 | 15.2:1 | 100% (935) |
| 2015-16 | 1,002 | 60 | 16.7:1 | 100% (1,002) |
| 2010-11 | 1,122 | 65 | 17.3:1 | 34% (376) |
| 2000-01 | 1,086 | 55 | 19.8:1 | 27% (293) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Valley El/MS.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (935 to 957); teachers up 11% (61.6 to 68.3).
About Valley El/MS
Valley El/MS is a high-enrollment elementary school based in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. Its enrollment is 957 students, spread over kindergarten through 8. That compares with an average of about 443 students for elementary schools in Pennsylvania.
Valley El/MS is a school in Hazleton Area SD. The district has 11 schools and 13,071 students.
The largest group at Valley El/MS is White students, at 71%. Enrollment also includes 23% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. The diversity index for Valley El/MS is 44%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Its ratio of 14.0:1 is based on 68.3 full-time-equivalent teachers. Elementary schools in Pennsylvania average 13.1:1, 0.9 fewer students per teacher than here. The share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 95%. For comparison, public schools in Luzerne County average 85%.
Valley El/MS holds a C allk12 Grade, placing it above 34% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools.
Valley El/MS posts an average proficiency rate across its state test results of 39.7%, compared with a predicted 36.8%. It is not in the top or bottom 10% of Pennsylvania schools on BeatsExpectations.
The school's county is Luzerne County. According to Census Bureau estimates, the median household earns about $63,691 a year, roughly 25% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Luzerne County number 65, with about 45,209 students.
Valley El/MS's nearest public school is Drums El/MS (about 4.2 miles). There are 6 more public schools inside five miles. Of the 6 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Valley El/MS is 2nd on average proficiency.
For locale, NCES codes Valley El/MS as Suburb: Small.
An 8% rise took enrollment from 883 in 2020-21 to 957 in 2024-25.
The Valley El/MS discussion page is a place for special education services, counseling, and support programs. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
Luzerne County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
327,675
Census ACS
Median income
$63,691
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
65
45,209 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hazleton Area SD
- Hazleton Area High SchoolHigh · 4,071 students
- Heights Terrace El/MSElementary · 1,236 students
- Maple Manor El/MSMiddle · 1,092 students
- West Hazleton El/MSElementary · 1,023 students
- Freeland El/MSElementary · 991 students
- McAdoo-Kelayres El/MSElementary · 900 students
Nearby schools
- Drums El/MS4.2 mi · 842
- Hazleton Area High School4.3 mi · 4,071
- Maple Manor El/MS4.4 mi · 1,092
- West Hazleton El/MS4.4 mi · 1,023
- Hazle Township Early Learning Center4.4 mi · 633
- Hazleton Area Career Center4.5 mi · 1
Frequently asked questions
About Valley El/MSWhat is the total enrollment at Valley El/MS?
Valley El/MS enrolls approximately 957 students in grades KG-08.
What grades does Valley El/MS serve?
Valley El/MS serves grades KG-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Valley El/MS?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Valley El/MS is approximately 14.0:1 (68 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Valley El/MS?
Valley El/MS reports a student body of 71% White, 23% Hispanic, 1% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Is Valley El/MS public or private?
Valley El/MS is a public K-12 school, overseen by Hazleton Area SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.