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Central Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1383^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 8% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

Central Elementary School is a public elementary school in Allentown, Pennsylvania, serving 697 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Allentown City School District, which is ranked 550 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Despite the high level of funding and resources, Central Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of Pennsylvania elementary schools, with a statewide rank ranging from 1347 to 1464 out of 1500+ schools over the past 10 years. The school's academic performance, as measured by PSSA test scores, is significantly below the state and district averages across all grades and subjects. When compared to other nearby schools in the Allentown City School District, such as Muhlenberg Elementary, Washington Elementary, and Luis A. Ramos Elementary, Central Elementary School is one of the lowest-performing schools in the district.

The school's persistent low performance and lack of improvement suggest the need for a comprehensive review of the school's educational strategies, resource allocation, and support systems to address the underlying issues and improve student outcomes. Despite the high percentage of economically disadvantaged students and the school's significant population of minority students, the focus should be on developing effective teaching and learning practices, rather than making assumptions about the relationship between student demographics and academic performance.

694

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,586

Per pupil spending ?

100.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

829 W Turner St
Allentown, PA 18102-4066

(484) 765-4801

District: Allentown City School District

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually attend:

High:

William Allen High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

72.0%

African American:

12.2%

Two or more races:

10.5%

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Compare Central Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 5th percentile in 2014 → 8th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (15% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (8th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 37 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school15%

District avg16%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,383^rd of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 8%▬ steady since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 13Elementary Schools in the Allentown City School District

550^th of 606Allentown City School District among Pennsylvania districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	1383 of 1511	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	1347 of 1526	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.1	1393 of 1534	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.5	1456 of 1534	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	4.6	1464 of 1544	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.4	1418 of 1530	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	6.6	1414 of 1547	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.7	1413 of 1554	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	7.0	1355 of 1474	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	2.9	1393 of 1467	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.0	1468 of 1519	3.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	6.6	1504 of 1599	5.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	6.6	1527 of 1597	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	5.0	1522 of 1579	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	2.0	1522 of 1549	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.0	1510 of 1551	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	6.2	1469 of 1555	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.1	1509 of 1545	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	1.1	1270 of 1299	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	1.0	1270 of 1308	2.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	2.2	1239 of 1302	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	47.9	178 of 413	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.3	267 of 437	38.9%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2023	17.5	922 of 1043	11.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	16.7	198 of 207	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	30.7	153 of 200	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	169 of 196	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	8.9	1337 of 1466	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.8	1306 of 1488	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	21.7	358 of 429	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.6	331 of 454	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.8	360 of 432	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	14.9	1214 of 1369	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.1	1209 of 1432	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.1	1259 of 1414	11.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	8.4	1369 of 1475	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	10.9	1332 of 1495	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2023	18.8	98 of 117	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)57th percentile+48 vs school

Hispanic (2025)17th percentile+8 vs school

Multi-racial (2023)16th percentile+7 vs school

Disabled (2023)12th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)9th percentile~ school

Male (2025)7th percentile~ school

English Language Learner (2025)4th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Math18%-24 vs state

English Language Arts11%-37 vs state

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Schools Near Central Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSSA Math (2025)				PSSA English Language Arts (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSSA Math 3rd Grade	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	829 W Turner St	Allentown	18102	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-4801	694	50	13.9	100.4%	33 (4.8%)	85 (12.2%)	500 (72.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	73 (10.5%)	8.4	1383^rd of 1511 public elementary schools	8.5%		10.9	1347^th of 1526 public elementary schools	11.7%	36	12.7	25.0	17.9	17.9	9.4	14.7	10.9	11.3	$17,586	$2,829	$14,757
Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School	Public	K-5	1227 W Gordon St	Allentown	18102	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-4000	807	50	16.1	99.9%	25 (3.1%)	68 (8.4%)	638 (79.1%)	5 (0.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	69 (8.6%)	7.7	1402^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	7.2%		6.1	1437^th of 1526 public elementary schools	5.8%	35	19.6	23.6	8.8	18.0	14.5	13.5	8.8	12.5	$17,632	$2,836	$14,796
Arts Academy Elementary Charter School	Public, Charter	K-5	601 W Union Street	Allentown	18101	Lehigh County	Arts Academy Elementary Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(610) 841-4560	425	46	9.2	104.7%	0 (0.0%)	79 (18.6%)	346 (81.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8.5	1382^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	8.5%		9.6	1367^th of 1526 public elementary schools	10.4%	15	17.2	10.6	16.4	14.4	20.7	16.0	16.4	17.6	$2,974	$2,974	$00
Washington Elementary School	Public	1-5	837 N 9th St	Allentown	18102	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-4941	362	26	14.1	99.2%	11 (3.0%)	31 (8.6%)	288 (79.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (8.8%)	7.3	1413^th of 1511 public elementary schools	6.5%		6	1440^th of 1526 public elementary schools	5.6%	27	25.0	16.1	9.2	16.4	15.8	10.9	9.2	11.8	$21,408	$3,444	$17,964
Ruby Bridge Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	1394 Walnut St	Allentown	18102	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(484) 765-4164	125	9	13.4		2 (1.6%)	14 (11.2%)	94 (75.2%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (11.2%)								(n/a)
Luis A. Ramos Elementary School	Public	K-5	1430 West Allen St	Allentown	18102	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-4841	695	43	16.2	100.6%	27 (3.9%)	66 (9.5%)	548 (78.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.3%)	50 (7.2%)	13.1	1300^th of 1511 public elementary schools	14.0%		17.5	1250^th of 1526 public elementary schools	18.1%	50	25.6	17.9	26.4	23.2	14.4	17.9	23.1	18.5	$18,866	$3,035	$15,831
Jackson Early Childhood Center	Public	PK-K	517 N 15th St	Allentown	18102	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-4700	212	17	12.8	123.6%	6 (2.8%)	32 (15.1%)	147 (69.3%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (11.8%)								(n/a)									$19,224	$3,092	$16,132
Sheridan Elementary School	Public	1-5	521 N 2nd St	Allentown	18102	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-4881	591	36	16.4	97.1%	46 (7.8%)	58 (9.8%)	438 (74.1%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (7.8%)	7.8	1398^th of 1511 public elementary schools	7.5%		7.5	1402^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	8.1%	4	23.3	19.3	11.0	17.6	17.2	12.4	8.1	12.4	$18,197	$2,927	$15,270
Jefferson Elementary School	Public	K-5	750 Saint John St	Allentown	18103	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-4421	522	35	14.7	104.0%	27 (5.2%)	53 (10.2%)	389 (74.5%)	5 (1.0%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	45 (8.6%)	9.1	1371^st of 1511 public elementary schools	9.3%		15.3	1284^th of 1526 public elementary schools	15.9%	87	16.9	13.8	15.7	15.5	16.9	15.4	21.9	18.0	$17,832	$2,868	$14,963
Union Terrace Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1939 W Union St	Allentown	18104	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-5481	674	42	16.2	113.4%	37 (5.5%)	73 (10.8%)	482 (71.5%)	13 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	68 (10.1%)	15.8	1266^th of 1511 public elementary schools	16.2%		13.6	1307^th of 1526 public elementary schools	14.4%	41	35.0	28.4	17.6	26.9	24.8	24.3	17.3	21.9	$16,534	$2,660	$13,874

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Elementary School

How many students attend Central Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 694 students attended Central Elementary School.

What district is Central Elementary School in?

Allentown City School District

What is the racial makeup of Central Elementary School?

Students at Central Elementary School are 72% Hispanic, 12% African American, 11% Two or more races, 5% White.

Is Central Elementary School a good school?

Central Elementary School ranks in the bottom 8.5% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

What schools do graduates of Central Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Central Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : William Allen High School

Rate Central Elementary School!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.