Wharton Borough School District

Wharton Borough School District has two schools in this list: Marie V. Duffy Elementary School, serving prekindergarten through grade 5, and Alfred C. MacKinnon Middle School, serving grades 6–8. Their grade spans differ, so their overall averages are not direct same-grade comparisons. The clearest shared concern is ELA: in 2025–26, all six tested grades were below their respective state results, with average gaps of 7 points at Duffy and 12 points at MacKinnon.

Duffy stands out more favorably in ELA and science relative to the state, while MacKinnon stands out in middle-grade math and Algebra I. Duffy’s average ELA gap was 7 points below the state, compared with 12 points below at MacKinnon; in grade 5 science, Duffy was 4 points below the state, versus 6 points below for MacKinnon in grade 8. MacKinnon’s math average was essentially at the state level: its grade 7 result was 1 point above the state and grade 8 was 13 points above, although grade 6 was 13 points below. By contrast, Duffy’s largest gap was grade 3 math, at 17 points below the state. MacKinnon also reported 100% proficiency in both Algebra I categories shown, compared with state results of 38% to 40% for End of Course and 73% to 75% for grade 8.

Recent results show mixed movement rather than a consistent trend: average ELA gaps widened by about 4 points at each school from 2024–25 to 2025–26, while Duffy’s grade 5 science gap narrowed by 8 points. SchoolDigger gives both schools two stars; its statewide percentile rankings moved from 42 to 37 for Duffy and from 49 to 46 for MacKinnon between 2023–24 and 2025–26, with MacKinnon rising before falling. In 2024–25, Duffy’s student–teacher ratio was 8.8 and MacKinnon’s was 8.4; both reported free/reduced lunch eligible, at 55% and 46%, respectively. These figures offer context, not an explanation for academic results.