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Swatara Middle School

Q: Is Swatara Middle School a good school?

Swatara Middle School ranks 641 st of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

641^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 27% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

Swatara Middle School is a public middle school located in Steelton, PA, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 644 students. It is part of the Central Dauphin School District, which is ranked 362 out of 606 school districts in Pennsylvania and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Swatara Middle School consistently performs below the state and district averages in PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) test scores for Math, English Language Arts, and Science. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 16% of Swatara students were proficient or better in PSSA Math, compared to 36.9% for the Central Dauphin School District and 41.7% for the state of Pennsylvania. Swatara Middle School has been ranked in the bottom half of Pennsylvania middle schools for the past several years, consistently ranking between 600-650 out of around 900 middle schools, and has maintained a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating it is among the lowest-performing schools in the state.

When comparing Swatara Middle School to other nearby middle schools in the Central Dauphin School District and surrounding areas, it becomes clear that Swatara is significantly underperforming. For example, Central Dauphin Middle School and Crossroads Middle School, which are both within a few miles of Swatara, consistently outperform Swatara in academic measures and have higher rankings and ratings. The high percentage of economically disadvantaged students at Swatara Middle School may be a significant factor contributing to the school's low academic performance, and the school and district have an opportunity to identify and address the specific challenges facing the school.

611

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,674

Per pupil spending ?

105.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1101 Highland St
Steelton, PA 17113-1506

(717) 939-9363

District: Central Dauphin School District

Students who attend Swatara Middle School usually attend:

High:

Central Dauphin East Senior High School

Feeder schools for Swatara Middle School:

Elementary:	Chambers Hill Elementary School
	Lawnton Elementary School
	Paxtang Elementary School
	Tri-Community Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

31.9%

Hispanic:

23.1%

White:

19.0%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare Swatara Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 27th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (24% vs 45% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 5 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg41%

Pennsylvania avg45%

641^st of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Bottom 27%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to bottom 27% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 4Middle Schools in the Central Dauphin School District

362^nd of 606Central Dauphin 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	641 of 873	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.7	639 of 891	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.7	649 of 893	27.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	26.4	631 of 883	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	25.5	594 of 797	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	32.9	605 of 891	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	29.6	612 of 861	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	27.4	630 of 877	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	38.8	567 of 870	34.8%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.0	567 of 835	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	22.1	594 of 728	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	27.6	594 of 758	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	32.8	639 of 834	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	27.3	672 of 825	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	40.9	582 of 805	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	34.9	587 of 770	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	38.8	541 of 753	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	39.6	529 of 749	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	46.5	470 of 736	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	55.1	375 of 687	45.4%	★★☆☆☆
2004	34.3	505 of 663	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	47.4	421 of 643	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	29.2	278 of 393	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	37.6	234 of 408	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	46.8	185 of 421	56.1%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	5.3	132 of 138	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.4	134 of 145	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.8	136 of 144	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	19.4	590 of 643	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	568 of 672	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	566 of 660	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	43.1	66 of 145	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.6	58 of 150	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	44.4	63 of 143	55.9%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	21.3	647 of 835	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	632 of 860	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	37.5	204 of 348	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.6	238 of 362	34.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	33.8	236 of 362	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	26.9	634 of 843	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.5	611 of 877	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.6	601 of 874	31.2%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	28.0	598 of 839	28.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	630 of 870	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	25.5	137 of 174	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.0	147 of 199	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	156 of 187	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	38.4	402 of 649	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	31.8	483 of 673	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.3	578 of 681	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)54th percentile+28 vs school

Hispanic (2025)41st percentile+15 vs school

White (2025)38th percentile+11 vs school

African American (2025)29th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)29th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)25th percentile~ school

Female (2025)23rd percentile-4 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)21st percentile-5 vs school

Disabled (2025)8th percentile-18 vs school

Asian (2025)4th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts32%-17 vs state

Math16%-26 vs state

2.8

6 ratings · 3 written reviews

5★2

4★1

3★0

2★0

1★3

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, June 8, 2023

They help the children and support them! Swatara has an amazing staff! Close Quote

by a parent
Thursday, May 31, 2012

While there are many challenges involved with sending my children to Swatara, the dedication and professionalism of the teachers is not one of them. The major impediment to quality education at this school is the discipline, or lack there of, of a faction of the student population. My children have reported abhorrent behavior from students in their classes with no perceivable consequence. I have been involved at Swatara for a number of years and have grown to know many of the teachers personally. The number one complaint that I hear from these teachers is the total disrespect that they receive from some students and the lack of consequences associated with these behaviors. In my opinion this is an outstanding staff that would excel at another school, but are behind the 8 ball here. I have considered alternative schools for my kids, particularly 1, but have not liked my choices. Close Quote

by a parent
Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Principal(Mr. Valentin)and Assistant Principal(Mr. Termin) just do not care about the education of kids in this school. They do not want to communicate with the parents nor do they want to listen to the parents point of view. Instead Mr. Termin tells the parents how to raise their kids. And he's only been at the school a couple of weeks. When talking to him it's like talking in circles. He just doesn't want to listen. He tells you he's been in the district for 25 years and it's his way or no way. Oh, don't just try and go to the school to talk to either one. The secretaries won't let you in the building and they tell you they are not available to see you. They also need to learn how to handle the stress. There have been occasions when they've left me in the office and Nichole (secretary) is crying. If you want a good education and people who care about your kids don't send them to Swatara Middle School. This is not only my opinion. I've talked with several parents and administration at other schools in the district and they all have the same opinion. Close Quote

Schools Near Swatara Middle 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 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	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
Swatara Middle School	Public	6-8	1101 Highland St	Steelton	17113	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 939-9363	611	53	11.5	105.4%	116 (19.0%)	195 (31.9%)	141 (23.1%)	92 (15.1%)	4 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	62 (10.1%)	24.9	641^st of 873 public middle schools	26.6%		26.7	639^th of 891 public middle schools	28.3%	2	16.5	15.9	15.6	16.0	31.2	31.2	32.3	31.5	$16,674	$1,001	$15,673
Marshall Math Science Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	301 Hale Avenue	Harrisburg	17104	Dauphin County	Harrisburg City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(717) 703-1200	408	24	17.0	93.1%	20 (4.9%)	203 (49.8%)	154 (37.7%)	12 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.7%)	29.9	595^th of 873 public middle schools	31.8%		44.6	517^th of 891 public middle schools	42.0%	78	12.0	11.9	7.8	10.7	29.0	47.0	46.6	40.9	$24,599	$82	$24,516
Rowland Academy	Public	7-8	1842 Derry Street	Harrisburg	17104	Dauphin County	Harrisburg City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 703-4500	353	15	23.4	163.5%	5 (1.4%)	132 (37.4%)	203 (57.5%)	5 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.3%)	4.7	873^rd of 873 public middle schools	0.0%		4.5	884^th of 891 public middle schools	0.8%	11		0.0	0.0	0.0		3.0	4.4	3.7	$23,402	$78	$23,324
Susquehanna Township Middle School	Public	6-8	801 Wood St	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Susquehanna Township School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 657-5125	820	47	17.4	63.0%	142 (17.3%)	262 (32.0%)	146 (17.8%)	166 (20.2%)	2 (0.2%)	2 (0.2%)	100 (12.2%)	23.7	649^th of 873 public middle schools	25.7%		25.8	645^th of 891 public middle schools	27.6%	4	14.2	15.5	13.8	14.5	26.4	35.3	32.7	31.3	$18,782	$873	$17,909
New Cumberland Middle School	Public	7-8	331 8th St	New Cumberland	17070	Cumberland County	West Shore School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 774-0162	389	35	11.0	65.6%	229 (58.9%)	38 (9.8%)	76 (19.5%)	21 (5.4%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.9%)	61	324^th of 873 public middle schools	62.9%		58.5	380^th of 891 public middle schools	57.4%	56		44.2	24.5	34.4		48.1	49.5	48.7	$21,076	$1,179	$19,897
Central Dauphin East Middle School	Public	6-8	628 Rutherford Rd	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 545-4709	702	56	12.4	94.4%	132 (18.8%)	209 (29.8%)	142 (20.2%)	154 (21.9%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (8.7%)	26.6	625^th of 873 public middle schools	28.4%		30.5	616^th of 891 public middle schools	30.9%	9	21.1	8.4	15.9	15.4	38.8	23.8	38.8	33.9	$18,082	$1,043	$17,039
Central Dauphin Middle School	Public	6-8	4600 Locust Lane	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 540-4606	834	57	14.6	36.7%	554 (66.4%)	85 (10.2%)	64 (7.7%)	83 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (5.8%)	73	196^th of 873 public middle schools	77.5%		75.7	189^th of 891 public middle schools	78.8%	7	46.3	42.2	35.1	41.1	55.3	60.3	57.8	57.9	$15,471	$570	$14,901
Middletown Area Middle School	Public	6-8	215 Oberlin Rd	Middletown	17057	Dauphin County	Middletown Area School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 930-0739	534	46	11.5	60.7%	270 (50.6%)	54 (10.1%)	116 (21.7%)	19 (3.6%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	71 (13.3%)	49.4	440^th of 873 public middle schools	49.6%		46.6	501^st of 891 public middle schools	43.8%	61	28.2	36.5	30.5	31.8	39.2	44.7	42.7	42.1	$20,090	$1,177	$18,913
Crossroads Middle School	Public	7-8	535 Fishing Creek Rd	Lewisberry	17339	York County	West Shore School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 932-1295	541	39	13.7	40.3%	465 (86.0%)	9 (1.7%)	41 (7.6%)	10 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (2.8%)	72.9	198^th of 873 public middle schools	77.3%		70	252^nd of 891 public middle schools	71.7%	54		46.0	34.9	40.7		57.7	51.9	54.9	$21,241	$1,188	$20,053
Fairview Intermediate School	Public	5-6	480 Lewisberry Rd	New Cumberland	17070	York County	West Shore School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(717) 938-9577	654	39	16.8		407 (62.2%)	70 (10.7%)	101 (15.4%)	29 (4.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	45 (6.9%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Swatara Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Swatara Middle School?

Students at Swatara Middle School are 32% African American, 23% Hispanic, 19% White, 15% Asian, 10% Two or more races.

Is Swatara Middle School a good school?

Swatara Middle School ranks 641^st of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Swatara Middle School in?

Central Dauphin School District

What high school do graduates of Swatara Middle School attend?

Students who attend Swatara Middle School usually go on to attend Central Dauphin East Senior High School

How many students attend Swatara Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 611 students attended Swatara Middle School.

Rate Swatara Middle 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.