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L R Appleman Elementary School

Q: Is L R Appleman Elementary School a good school?

L R Appleman Elementary School ranks 196 th of 1511 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-6

196^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 87% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

L R Appleman Elementary School is a public elementary school in Benton, Pennsylvania, serving 307 students in grades K-6 and part of the Benton Area School District. This high-performing school consistently delivers excellent academic results, particularly for its disadvantaged student population.

L R Appleman Elementary School stands out for its strong academic performance, with 72% of students proficient or better in Math and 67.1% in English Language Arts (ELA) in the 2024-2025 school year, far exceeding the state averages of 41.7% and 48.5%, respectively. The school also ranks 39th out of 1,369 Pennsylvania elementary schools for serving low socioeconomic status students, earning a 5-star rating. Additionally, the school performs well for both female and male students, ranking in the top 250 schools in the state for both groups.

Compared to nearby schools, L R Appleman Elementary School outperforms many in academic metrics, though schools like Central Columbia Elementary School and Nescopeck Elementary School also demonstrate strong academic performance and are ranked highly in the state. The higher spending per student at L R Appleman Elementary School, at $21,385 in the 2022-2023 school year compared to the state average of $16,661 in 2019-2020, may contribute to the school's success, suggesting that adequate funding can be a key factor in supporting student achievement.

308

Students ?

9.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,071

Per pupil spending ?

99%

Free/discounted lunch ?

525 Park Street
Benton, PA 17814

(570) 925-6971

District: Benton Area School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

94.8%

Hispanic:

3.2%

African American:

1.3%

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Compare L R Appleman Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 70th percentile in 2015 → 87th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (70% vs 45% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 17 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school70%

District avg66%

Pennsylvania avg45%

196^th of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 17 pts since 2015

From top 30% (2015) to top 13% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

68^th of 606Benton Area 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	85.2	196 of 1511	87.0%	★★★★☆
2024	80.7	269 of 1526	82.4%	★★★★☆
2023	81.5	252 of 1534	83.6%	★★★★☆
2022	75.0	391 of 1534	74.5%	★★★★☆
2021	53.1	770 of 1433	46.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	62.8	662 of 1544	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.2	629 of 1530	58.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	72.1	452 of 1547	70.8%	★★★★☆
2016	71.7	467 of 1554	69.9%	★★★★☆
2015	71.5	447 of 1474	69.7%	★★★☆☆
2014	73.1	416 of 1467	71.6%	★★★★☆
2013	71.6	454 of 1519	70.1%	★★★★☆
2012	75.9	358 of 1599	77.6%	★★★★☆
2011	72.3	428 of 1597	73.2%	★★★★☆
2010	78.5	243 of 1579	84.6%	★★★★☆
2009	65.4	611 of 1549	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	61.6	708 of 1551	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2007	67.2	560 of 1555	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2006	68.2	513 of 1545	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2005	75.3	299 of 1299	77.0%	★★★★☆
2004	35.6	956 of 1308	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	42.5	854 of 1302	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	83.6	199 of 1466	86.4%	★★★★☆
2024	76.2	326 of 1488	78.1%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	91.7	39 of 1369	97.2%	★★★★★
2024	89.9	55 of 1432	96.2%	★★★★★
2023	82.5	152 of 1414	89.3%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	81.5	250 of 1475	83.1%	★★★★☆
2024	82.7	215 of 1495	85.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	77.7	234 of 1201	80.5%	★★★★☆
2024	72.8	305 of 1229	75.2%	★★★★☆
2023	74.1	286 of 1236	76.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)97th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)86th percentile~ school

Male (2025)83rd percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)81st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Math72%+30 vs state

English Language Arts67%+19 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent on FaceBook
Thursday, December 22, 2011

The school has next to no sports programs. There is an extra-ordinary amount of special learning needs children as opposed to other schools, therefore if your child has a need, they will not get the attention they would in other districts. Irresponsible behaviors by multiple levels of educators abound. I would not recommend this school to anybody. Close Quote

Schools Near L R Appleman 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 6th 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 All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
L R Appleman Elementary School	Public	K-6	525 Park Street	Benton	17814	Columbia County	Benton Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 925-6971	308	31	9.8	99.0%	292 (94.8%)	4 (1.3%)	10 (3.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	85.2	196^th of 1511 public elementary schools	87.0%		80.7	269^th of 1526 public elementary schools	82.4%	73	71.4	69.8	70.8	76.2	72.0	68.6	65.2	56.1	78.5	67.1	$21,071	$1,511	$19,560
Northwest Area Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	417 Shickshinny Lake Rd	Shickshinny	18655	Luzerne County	Northwest Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 864-3461	215	10	21.5	61.9%	200 (93.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.0%)								(n/a)											$23,177	$593	$22,585
Millville Area Elementary School	Public	K-6	370 Batten Lane	Millville	17846	Columbia County	Millville Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 458-5538	291	25	11.7	56.0%	272 (93.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.7%)	58.9	675^th of 1511 public elementary schools	55.3%		53.9	816^th of 1526 public elementary schools	46.5%	141	53.7	50.0	20.9	65.8	46.8	53.7	52.9	42.9	71.1	54.9	$24,284	$1,670	$22,614
Central Columbia Elementary School	Public	K-4	4777 Old Berwick Rd	Bloomsburg	17815	Columbia County	Central Columbia School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 784-2850	705	54	13.0	38.3%	637 (90.4%)	5 (0.7%)	20 (2.8%)	15 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.0%)	80.7	268^th of 1511 public elementary schools	82.3%		83.5	219^th of 1526 public elementary schools	85.6%	49	72.9	73.8			73.4	66.0	61.4			63.6	$19,993	$1,465	$18,528
West Berwick Elementary School	Public	K-4	809 Sycamore St	Berwick	18603	Columbia County	Berwick Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 759-6400	487	37	13.0	100.6%	371 (76.2%)	7 (1.4%)	79 (16.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	26 (5.3%)	31.3	1069^th of 1511 public elementary schools	29.3%		39.5	1011^th of 1526 public elementary schools	33.7%	58	33.4	37.7			35.4	38.9	43.4			40.9	$20,772	$2,151	$18,621
East Berwick Elementary School	Public	K-4	810 East Tenth Street	Berwick	18603	Luzerne County	Berwick Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 759-6400	539	41	12.9	71.2%	428 (79.4%)	11 (2.0%)	69 (12.8%)	3 (0.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.0%)	65.2	570^th of 1511 public elementary schools	62.3%		70.5	475^th of 1526 public elementary schools	68.9%	95	50.6	70.6			61.4	49.4	61.3			55.9	$8,111	$840	$7,271
Carl G Renn Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	183 School Lane	Lairdsville	17742	Lycoming County	East Lycoming School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 584-3070	181	13	13.7	49.7%	177 (97.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.2%)	53.2	776^th of 1511 public elementary schools	48.6%		64.1	613^th of 1526 public elementary schools	59.8%	163	35.0	53.0	57.9	52.1	49.3	31.6	25.0	63.2	52.1	44.2	$18,806	$967	$17,839
Ross Elementary School	Public	K-6	5148 Main Rd	Sweet Valley	18656	Luzerne County	Lake-Lehman School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 477-5050	166	15	10.7	47.6%	152 (91.6%)	7 (4.2%)	3 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.4%)	44.7	904^th of 1511 public elementary schools	40.2%		57.1	762^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	50.1%	142	75.0	37.1	23.8	52.0	43.1	83.3	31.4	9.5	56.0	39.8	$22,658	$2,636	$20,023
Northwest Area Intermediate School	Public	3-6	21 Sunset Lake Rd	Shickshinny	18655	Luzerne County	Northwest Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 256-3649	260	24	10.8	55.0%	242 (93.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.8%)	34.8	1031^st of 1511 public elementary schools	31.8%		51.8	837^th of 1526 public elementary schools	45.2%	194	40.3	27.9	73.7	31.6	43.5	27.4	24.6	24.6	43.4	29.9	$20,492	$524	$19,968
Memorial Elementary School	Public	K-5	500 Market St	Bloomsburg	17815	Columbia County	Bloomsburg Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 784-7885	405	37	11.0	66.9%	301 (74.3%)	23 (5.7%)	55 (13.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.7%)	58.8	677^th of 1511 public elementary schools	55.2%		70.6	473^rd of 1526 public elementary schools	69.0%	204	74.7	67.4	31.1		57.2	50.6	50.0	43.3		47.8	$9,115	$2,389	$6,726

Frequently Asked Questions about L R Appleman Elementary School

What district is L R Appleman Elementary School in?

Benton Area School District

Is L R Appleman Elementary School a good school?

L R Appleman Elementary School ranks 196^th of 1511 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of L R Appleman Elementary School?

Students at L R Appleman Elementary School are 95% White, 3% Hispanic, 1% African American.

How many students attend L R Appleman Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 308 students attended L R Appleman Elementary School.

Rate L R Appleman Elementary School!

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Schools in Benton, PA

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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.