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South Side Elementary School

Q: Is South Side Elementary School a good school?

South Side Elementary School ranks 1102 nd of 1511 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1102^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 27% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

South Side Elementary School is a public elementary school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, serving 676 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Central Dauphin School District, which is ranked 362 out of 606 school districts in the state.

Despite the school's relatively high per-student spending of $13,039, South Side Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 25% of Pennsylvania elementary schools, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's performance on PSSA tests is significantly below the state and district averages across all grade levels and subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 32.1% of South Side students were proficient or better in PSSA Math, compared to 41.7% statewide and 36.9% in the Central Dauphin School District. The school's performance also varies significantly across different student subgroups, with the school ranking in the top 25% for African American students but in the bottom 25% for Asian, White, and Disabled students, as well as students from low socioeconomic backgrounds.

When compared to nearby schools in the Central Dauphin School District, such as Paxtang Elementary, Rutherford Elementary, and North Side Elementary, it becomes clear that South Side Elementary is an outlier in terms of academic performance. The school's high poverty rates, with over 99% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, may be contributing to the academic challenges faced by the school community.

603

Students ?

13.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,336

Per pupil spending ?

112.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4525 Union Deposit Rd
Harrisburg, PA 17111-2911

(717) 657-3204

District: Central Dauphin School District

Students who attend South Side Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Central Dauphin East Middle School
High:	Central Dauphin East Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

29.2%

Asian:

22.6%

Hispanic:

21.2%

See top rated Pennsylvania elementary schools

Compare South Side Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 25th percentile in 2015 → 27th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (34% vs 45% meeting standards)

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

!English Language Arts scores 14 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg41%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,102^nd of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 27%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 13Elementary 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	28.5	1102 of 1511	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.5	1154 of 1526	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.7	1137 of 1534	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.8	1108 of 1534	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.8	1110 of 1433	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.0	1174 of 1544	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.8	1094 of 1530	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	37.4	1102 of 1547	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.7	1182 of 1554	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	30.2	1104 of 1474	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	29.1	1170 of 1467	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	41.6	1093 of 1519	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	30.5	1293 of 1599	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	29.9	1307 of 1597	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	33.3	1264 of 1579	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	22.3	1332 of 1549	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	22.9	1321 of 1551	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	26.3	1305 of 1555	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	32.5	1241 of 1545	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	29.1	1038 of 1299	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	23.8	1063 of 1308	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2003	41.7	867 of 1302	33.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	71.2	71 of 413	82.8%	★★★★☆
2024	60.6	128 of 437	70.7%	★★★★☆
2023	63.0	122 of 437	72.1%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	5.6	144 of 151	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.9	165 of 168	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	2.9	158 of 160	1.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	25.2	793 of 1030	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	1013 of 1084	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.9	939 of 1043	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	50.5	82 of 207	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	56.1	72 of 200	64.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	50.7	77 of 196	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	28.4	1062 of 1466	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	23.9	1150 of 1488	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	52.5	173 of 429	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	48.6	225 of 454	50.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.1	233 of 432	46.1%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	39.8	856 of 1369	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.7	994 of 1432	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	38.7	949 of 1414	32.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	28.4	1075 of 1475	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.7	1145 of 1495	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	41.0	42 of 100	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.8	74 of 128	42.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	52.8	43 of 117	63.2%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	24.8	980 of 1201	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	1011 of 1229	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	39.2	827 of 1236	33.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)83rd percentile+56 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)60th percentile+33 vs school

Hispanic (2025)60th percentile+33 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)58th percentile+31 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)37th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)28th percentile~ school

Male (2025)27th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)23rd percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)18th percentile-9 vs school

Asian (2025)5th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts35%-14 vs state

Math32%-10 vs state

★

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Schools Near South Side 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 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th 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 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
South Side Elementary School	Public	K-5	4525 Union Deposit Rd	Harrisburg	17111	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 657-3204	603	46	13.0	112.1%	82 (13.6%)	176 (29.2%)	128 (21.2%)	136 (22.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	80 (13.3%)	28.5	1102^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	27.1%		24.5	1154^th of 1526 public elementary schools	24.4%	52	45.3	25.8	24.5				32.1	47.8	31.0	25.4				35.0	$13,336	$1,057	$12,278
Phillips Elementary School	Public	K-5	100 Oakmont Rd	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 657-3203	393	33	12.0	105.3%	90 (22.9%)	114 (29.0%)	76 (19.3%)	72 (18.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (10.4%)	19.9	1203^rd of 1511 public elementary schools	20.4%		18	1244^th of 1526 public elementary schools	18.5%	41	31.3	22.5	22.0				24.7	29.2	32.3	28.0				29.8	$15,563	$949	$14,614
Infinity Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	5405 Locust Lane	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Infinity Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(717) 238-1880	256	20	13.1	19.1%	104 (40.6%)	32 (12.5%)	18 (7.0%)	79 (30.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.0%)	88.7	142^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	90.6%		91	67^th of 1526 public elementary schools	95.6%	75	85.2	64.5	57.1	56.7	57.2	53.9	62.4	77.8	87.1	78.6	86.2	96.4	92.3	86.4	$10,876	$592	$10,284
Lawnton Elementary School	Public	K-5	4400 Franklin St	Harrisburg	17111	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 558-9430	310	25	12.5	91.9%	29 (9.4%)	63 (20.3%)	42 (13.5%)	147 (47.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (8.7%)	22.4	1165^th of 1511 public elementary schools	22.9%		23.6	1171^st of 1526 public elementary schools	23.3%	6	43.5	30.0	7.9				28.2	29.8	42.5	13.2				28.8	$15,681	$1,928	$13,753
Paxtang Elementary School	Public	K-5	3530 Rutherford St	Harrisburg	17111	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 561-1781	281	19	14.8	99.6%	54 (19.2%)	73 (26.0%)	74 (26.3%)	46 (16.4%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (11.4%)	31.9	1064^th of 1511 public elementary schools	29.6%		38.9	1020^th of 1526 public elementary schools	33.2%	44	30.6	45.9	27.3				34.2	34.3	54.2	27.3				38.2	$15,877	$948	$14,929
Rutherford Elementary School	Public	K-5	6500 Clearfield St	Harrisburg	17111	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 561-1990	461	30	15.2	102.6%	95 (20.6%)	130 (28.2%)	69 (15.0%)	118 (25.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (10.4%)	43	928^th of 1511 public elementary schools	38.6%		44.2	962^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	37.0%	34	46.5	42.3	42.3				43.6	33.8	45.5	45.9				41.8	$13,225	$891	$12,334
North Side Elementary School	Public	K-5	4520 Devonshire Rd	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 657-3201	722	43	16.7	97.6%	281 (38.9%)	180 (24.9%)	76 (10.5%)	130 (18.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	52 (7.2%)	59.5	660^th of 1511 public elementary schools	56.3%		56.9	766^th of 1526 public elementary schools	49.8%	106	60.5	62.6	40.5				53.5	47.1	50.5	52.7				50.3	$12,747	$453	$12,294
Chambers Hill Elementary School	Public	K-5	6450 Chambers Hill Rd	Harrisburg	17111	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 561-1655	257	25	10.2	96.5%	63 (24.5%)	47 (18.3%)	42 (16.3%)	74 (28.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (12.1%)	35.1	1026^th of 1511 public elementary schools	32.1%		31.5	1094^th of 1526 public elementary schools	28.3%	68	42.1	33.3	33.4				36.2	46.2	21.5	40.0				37.6	$19,622	$1,261	$18,361
Sara Lindemuth Elementary School	Public	K-2	1201 N Progress Ave	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Susquehanna Township School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 657-5122	758	44	17.1	73.2%	134 (17.7%)	227 (29.9%)	133 (17.5%)	150 (19.8%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.5%)	108 (14.2%)								(n/a)															$15,583	$1,078	$14,505
Melrose School	Public	K-5	2041 Berryhill St	Harrisburg	17104	Dauphin County	Harrisburg City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 703-1440	536	34	16.0	112.9%	24 (4.5%)	198 (36.9%)	247 (46.1%)	29 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (7.1%)	10.5	1345^th of 1511 public elementary schools	11.0%		5.3	1460^th of 1526 public elementary schools	4.3%	115	16.0	26.2	12.4				18.1	16.5	25.0	12.3				17.9	$22,276	$75	$22,201

Frequently Asked Questions about South Side Elementary School

What district is South Side Elementary School in?

Central Dauphin School District

Is South Side Elementary School a good school?

South Side Elementary School ranks 1102^nd of 1511 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What schools do graduates of South Side Elementary School attend?

Students who attend South Side Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Central Dauphin East Middle School
High : Central Dauphin East Senior High School

What is the racial makeup of South Side Elementary School?

Students at South Side Elementary School are 29% African American, 23% Asian, 21% Hispanic, 14% White, 13% Two or more races.

How many students attend South Side Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 603 students attended South Side Elementary School.

Rate South Side 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.