Summary:
Propel CS-East is the sole elementary public charter school serving grades K-8 in Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Pennsylvania elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on standardized tests across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 19.2% of Propel CS-East students were proficient or better in Math, compared to the state average of 41.7%, and only 34.8% were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 48.5%.
Propel CS-East serves a student population with a very high percentage (99.1% in 2023-2024) of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school likely serves a community with significant socioeconomic challenges. The school's per-student spending for the 2022-2023 school year was $18,996, which is higher than the state average, suggesting that the school is allocating resources to support its students. However, the low academic performance suggests that these resources may not be effectively utilized.
The combination of low academic performance, high poverty, and a relatively low student-to-teacher ratio of 13.7 to 1 in the 2023-2024 school year suggests that Propel CS-East may benefit from targeted interventions and support to address the specific needs of its student population. This could include professional development for teachers, additional academic and social-emotional support for students, and collaboration with community partners to address the broader challenges facing the school's community.
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