Valley El/MS

As a substantial elementary campus in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania, Valley El/MS enrolls 957 students from grades K through 8, operated by Hazleton Area SD. Enrollment runs roughly 116% bigger than the state mean of about 443.

Hazleton Area SD runs 11 schools in total, collectively educating 13,071 students. Valley El/MS is one of those campuses.

Demographically, Valley El/MS logs that the largest single group is White, at 71% of enrollment. Beyond that, the school shows 23% Hispanic, 3% multiracial.

On the resource side, Staff filings list 68 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 14.0:1 students per teacher. That figure is higher than the state norm's 13.1:1 average. About 95% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is higher than Luzerne County's rate of about 85%.

With demographic context factored in, Valley El/MS tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 36.8% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 39.7%.

Around the school, Luzerne County reports that median household earnings sit near $63,691, 25% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. Across Luzerne County's 65 public schools (combined enrollment of about 45,209 students), Valley El/MS is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Drums El/MS, roughly 4.2 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 6 other public schools cluster around Valley El/MS. Among the 6 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Valley El/MS ranks 2nd on composite proficiency, above the local average of 28.8%.

Geographically, the school is in a residential area.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Valley El/MS has stayed largely flat, going from 935 students in 2018 to 957 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 89% to 71% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 15.2:1 in 2018 to 14.0:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the feed for Valley El/MS typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.