Best Public Schools in Punxsutawney, PA

Summary:

The city of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania is home to two schools - Punxsutawney Area Elementary School and Punxsutawney Area High School, both part of the Punxsutawney Area School District. While the elementary school struggles with test scores, the high school stands out as a strong performer, consistently improving its statewide ranking and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Punxsutawney Area High School is the clear standout, ranking 117 out of 681 Pennsylvania high schools for the 2024-2025 school year. The high school has seen a steady improvement in its statewide ranking over the past three years, going from 262 in 2022-2023 to 187 in 2023-2024 and now 117 in 2024-2025. Additionally, the high school outperforms the district and state averages on several key test score metrics, including Algebra I, Biology, and Literature Keystone Exams.

In contrast, Punxsutawney Area Elementary School generally performs below the state averages on PSSA Math and English Language Arts tests across all grade levels. The elementary school also has a higher free/reduced lunch rate of 65.82% compared to 54.69% at the high school, suggesting a greater proportion of economically disadvantaged students. Both schools, however, have relatively low student-teacher ratios, indicating a focus on small class sizes and potentially more individualized attention for students.

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	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	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 3rd Grade	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th 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 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Punxsutawney Area High School	Public	7-12	500 N Findley Street	Punxsutawney	15767	Jefferson County	Punxsutawney Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 938-5151	810	89	9.1	54.7%	771 (95.2%)	7 (0.9%)	11 (1.4%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.1%)	79.8	117^th of 681 public high schools	82.8%		71.9	187^th of 686 public high schools	72.7%	70	68.1	62.8	69.9					44.7	36.9	40.8					49.0	45.4	47.2	$18,932	$1,335	$17,597
Punxsutawney Area Elementary School	Public	K-6	465 Beyer Ave	Punxsutawney	15767	Jefferson County	Punxsutawney Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(814) 938-5151	1,085	97	11.1	64.8%	1,033 (95.2%)	9 (0.8%)	20 (1.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (1.9%)	40	964^th of 1511 public elementary schools	36.2%		50.7	851^st of 1526 public elementary schools	44.2%	113				56.0	43.5	43.7	27.5			41.9	47.7	36.3	35.2	29.9			36.9	$18,079	$2,162	$15,916

Cities Near Punxsutawney

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Reynoldsville	11.17 mi	2	593^rd
Marion Center	12.71 mi	2	436^th
Brookville	14.32 mi	4	248^th
Dayton	14.37 mi	1	251^st
Commodore	14.84 mi	2	390^th

See the top PA Pennsylvania cities

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.