Forest Area School District

The Forest Area School District in Pennsylvania operates four schools: two elementary schools and two junior/senior high schools. The district serves a mix of rural and suburban communities, with a focus on providing quality education to its students.

Among the standout schools in the district is East Forest Elementary School, which has consistently strong academic performance, particularly in math, where 67.5% of students were proficient or better on the PSSA exams in 2024-2025. The school has also seen an upward trend in its statewide ranking, moving from 564th out of 1,544 Pennsylvania elementary schools in 2018-2019 to 287th out of 1,534 in 2021-2022. Similarly, East Forest Junior/Senior High School has shown impressive performance on Keystone Exams, with 64.3% proficiency in Biology and 71.4% proficiency in Literature in 2023-2024, outpacing the district and state averages.

In contrast, the two West Forest schools have lagged behind their East Forest counterparts in academic performance. For example, in 2024-2025, West Forest Elementary School had only 43.2% proficiency in PSSA Math, compared to 67.5% at East Forest Elementary. Additionally, West Forest Junior/Senior High School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking, dropping from 431st out of 674 Pennsylvania high schools in 2022-2023 to 497th out of 681 in 2024-2025. These disparities in academic performance may be linked to funding differences, as the schools in the district have varying per-student spending levels, ranging from $32,912 at West Forest Elementary to $39,544 at West Forest Junior/Senior High.