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James Buchanan Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

1139^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 25% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

James Buchanan Elementary School is a public elementary school in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, serving 262 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Bethlehem Area School District, which is ranked 426 out of 606 school districts in the state.

Academically, James Buchanan Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Pennsylvania elementary schools over the past 10 years, with proficiency rates in Math (30.1%) and English Language Arts (31.9%) significantly lower than the state averages. The school's performance is particularly weak for White students and students of low socioeconomic status, ranking in the bottom 20-25% of Pennsylvania elementary schools for these subgroups. In contrast, the school's Hispanic students perform relatively better, ranking in the top 10-35% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

Compared to nearby schools within the Bethlehem Area School District, such as Spring Garden Elementary, Fountain Hill Elementary, and Clearview Elementary, James Buchanan Elementary generally underperforms on academic measures. However, Hanover Elementary and Calypso Elementary, also within the Bethlehem Area School District, stand out as high-performing schools with significantly higher proficiency rates than James Buchanan Elementary.

253

Students ?

12.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,785

Per pupil spending ?

67.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1621 Catasauqua Road
Bethlehem, PA 18017-7407

(610) 865-1766

District: Bethlehem Area School District

Students who attend James Buchanan Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Nitschmann Middle School
High:	Liberty High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.5%

White:

37.2%

African American:

10.7%

See top rated Pennsylvania elementary schools

Compare James Buchanan Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2014 → 25th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (31% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2014

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg33%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,139^th of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From bottom 41% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 16Elementary Schools in the Bethlehem Area School District

426^th of 606Bethlehem 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	24.9	1139 of 1511	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	1079 of 1526	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.1	1067 of 1534	30.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	58.0	727 of 1534	52.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	49.2	939 of 1544	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.4	933 of 1530	39.0%	★★☆☆☆
2017	44.3	1011 of 1547	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	48.8	949 of 1554	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2015	51.0	863 of 1474	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2014	62.1	698 of 1467	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2013	55.4	874 of 1519	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	59.6	833 of 1599	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	48.5	1053 of 1597	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	58.6	819 of 1579	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2009	55.1	873 of 1549	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	66.4	580 of 1551	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	52.6	914 of 1555	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	45.1	1053 of 1545	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	53.5	747 of 1299	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2004	83.1	188 of 1308	85.6%	★★★★☆
2003	67.9	476 of 1302	63.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	24.8	1105 of 1466	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.0	1045 of 1488	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	56.9	150 of 429	65.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	61.1	158 of 454	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	70.1	100 of 432	76.9%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	35.3	931 of 1369	32.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.3	917 of 1432	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.7	856 of 1414	39.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	26.1	1107 of 1475	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.4	1060 of 1495	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	1152 of 1201	4.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.2	1149 of 1229	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	40.2	815 of 1236	34.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)65th percentile+40 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)32nd percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)25th percentile~ school

Female (2025)25th percentile~ school

White (2025)4th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts32%-17 vs state

Math30%-12 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, August 29, 2014

Amazing principal, wonderful staff, family-oriented, working class school. The best decision we ever made was open enrolling our son here. Could not be happier with JBES. Close Quote

Schools Near James Buchanan 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 All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
James Buchanan Elementary School	Public	K-5	1621 Catasauqua Road	Bethlehem	18017	Lehigh County	Bethlehem Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 865-1766	253	21	12.1	67.2%	94 (37.2%)	27 (10.7%)	115 (45.5%)	11 (4.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	5 (2.0%)	24.9	1139^th of 1511 public elementary schools	24.6%		33.6	1079^th of 1526 public elementary schools	29.3%	60	26.4	35.3	29.3	30.1	26.3	35.3	34.2	31.9	$18,785	$655	$18,129
Clearview Elementary School	Public	K-5	2121 Abington Rd	Bethlehem	18018	Lehigh County	Bethlehem Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 868-5994	384	30	12.6	71.6%	133 (34.6%)	46 (12.0%)	194 (50.5%)	7 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	34.2	1036^th of 1511 public elementary schools	31.4%		38.5	1025^th of 1526 public elementary schools	32.8%	11	30.7	52.2	37.5	38.9	32.2	39.1	34.8	35.0	$17,984	$739	$17,245
Sonia Sotomayor Dual Lang Immersion Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	2020 E Pennsylvania St	Allentown	18109	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(484) 765-5681	112	7	16.2		0 (0.0%)	6 (5.4%)	89 (79.5%)	1 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (14.3%)								(n/a)
Asa Packer Elementary School	Public	K-5	1650 Kenwood Dr	Bethlehem	18017	Northampton County	Bethlehem Area School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 865-0660	314	27	11.7	33.8%	206 (65.6%)	21 (6.7%)	67 (21.3%)	20 (6.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	66.5	544^th of 1511 public elementary schools	64.0%		57.5	752^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	50.7%	208	69.8	66.0	53.8	63.2	50.0	53.2	48.0	50.3	$18,521	$162	$18,359
Calypso Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1021 Calypso Ave	Bethlehem	18018	Lehigh County	Bethlehem Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 691-0152	222	17	12.9	55.0%	98 (44.1%)	22 (9.9%)	92 (41.4%)	8 (3.6%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	66.1	556^th of 1511 public elementary schools	63.2%		59.1	725^th of 1526 public elementary schools	52.5%	169	68.8	69.5	42.9	58.9	53.1	60.8	48.6	53.4	$22,775	$1,508	$21,267
William Penn Elementary School	Public	K-5	1002 Main St	Bethlehem	18018	Northampton County	Bethlehem Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 694-0116	242	21	11.4	78.9%	70 (28.9%)	36 (14.9%)	130 (53.7%)	4 (1.7%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	23.4	1156^th of 1511 public elementary schools	23.5%		23.6	1172^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	23.2%	16	36.5	33.3	25.9	32.5	26.8	36.1	25.8	29.7	$20,389	$800	$19,589
Ritter Elementary School	Public	K-5	790 N Plymouth Street	Allentown	18109	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-5661	463	28	16.8	92.0%	56 (12.1%)	51 (11.0%)	299 (64.6%)	9 (1.9%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.4%)	45 (9.7%)	9.8	1357^th of 1511 public elementary schools	10.2%		16.4	1266^th of 1526 public elementary schools	17.0%	91	22.7	8.2	16.7	16.6	19.7	12.2	23.0	18.5	$20,285	$3,263	$17,022
Hanover Elementary School	Public	K-5	3890 Jacksonville Rd	Bethlehem	18017	Northampton County	Bethlehem Area School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 691-3210	205	17	12.3	24.4%	152 (74.1%)	6 (2.9%)	34 (16.6%)	12 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	90.3	118^th of 1511 public elementary schools	92.2%		79	309^th of 1526 public elementary schools	79.8%	191	75.8	85.7	79.4	80.4	63.7	88.5	73.5	75.5	$19,134	$56	$19,078
Thomas Jefferson Elementary School	Public	K-5	404 E North St	Bethlehem	18018	Northampton County	Bethlehem Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 691-1776	238	21	11.1	86.1%	68 (28.6%)	33 (13.9%)	123 (51.7%)	7 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.8%)	5 (2.1%)	22.8	1162^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	23.1%		13.9	1302^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	14.7%	140	32.6	36.0	9.4	26.2	34.8	48.0	15.6	32.1	$19,194	$1,043	$18,152
Spring Garden Elementary School	Public	K-5	901 North Blvd	Bethlehem	18017	Northampton County	Bethlehem Area School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 868-6071	532	41	13.0	47.7%	281 (52.8%)	57 (10.7%)	174 (32.7%)	14 (2.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.9%)	64.1	587^th of 1511 public elementary schools	61.2%		50.4	858^th of 1526 public elementary schools	43.8%	271	74.2	63.3	47.6	61.9	55.0	54.4	37.8	49.0	$19,314	$502	$18,812

Frequently Asked Questions about James Buchanan Elementary School

Is James Buchanan Elementary School a good school?

James Buchanan Elementary School ranks in the bottom 24.6% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of James Buchanan Elementary School?

Students at James Buchanan Elementary School are 45% Hispanic, 37% White, 11% African American, 4% Asian, 2% Two or more races.

What district is James Buchanan Elementary School in?

Bethlehem Area School District

What schools do graduates of James Buchanan Elementary School attend?

Students who attend James Buchanan Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Nitschmann Middle School
High : Liberty High School

How many students attend James Buchanan Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 253 students attended James Buchanan Elementary School.

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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.