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Derry Area Middle School

Q: Is Derry Area Middle School a good school?

Derry Area Middle School ranks 222 nd of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

222^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 75% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

Derry Area Middle School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in the Derry Area School District in Derry, Pennsylvania, with 421 students. The school is ranked 222 out of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools for the 2024-2025 school year and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Derry Area Middle School performs above the state average in PSSA English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency, with 60.2% of students proficient or better in 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 48.5%. However, in PSSA Math, the school's proficiency rate of 37.8% is slightly below the state average of 41.7% in 2024-2025. The school's PSSA Science proficiency rate of 47.9% in 2023-2024 is lower than the state average of 65.8%. The school performs particularly well for low socioeconomic status (SES) students, ranking 149 out of 843 Pennsylvania middle schools in this category in 2024-2025, and for disabled students, ranking 72 out of 660 Pennsylvania middle schools in this category in 2022-2023.

Compared to nearby schools, Franklin Regional Middle School, Penn Middle School, and Greater Latrobe Junior High School generally outperform Derry Area Middle School in academic performance. However, Derry Area Middle School outperforms some nearby schools, such as Greensburg-Salem Middle School and Mount Pleasant Area Junior High School, in both PSSA ELA and Math proficiency. The school's high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, reaching 100% in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, may contribute to its relatively lower overall academic performance compared to higher-income districts.

440

Students ?

11.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,710

Per pupil spending ?

95.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

994 North Chestnut St Ext
Derry, PA 15627-7605

(724) 694-8231

District: Derry Area School District

Students who attend Derry Area Middle School usually attend:

High:

Derry Area Senior High School

Feeder schools for Derry Area Middle School:

Elementary:

Grandview Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.1%

Two or more races:

5.0%

African American:

2.3%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare Derry Area Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 66th percentile in 2015 → 75th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Pennsylvania median (75th percentile)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school49%

District avg50%

Pennsylvania avg45%

222^nd of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Top 25%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From top 34% (2015) to top 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

266^th of 606Derry 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	70.4	222 of 873	74.6%	★★★★☆
2024	66.9	289 of 891	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.2	196 of 893	78.1%	★★★★☆
2022	75.6	182 of 883	79.4%	★★★★☆
2021	67.7	236 of 797	70.4%	★★★★☆
2019	66.8	291 of 891	67.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.4	283 of 861	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	59.0	382 of 877	56.4%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.3	278 of 870	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2015	65.5	288 of 835	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2014	69.3	244 of 728	66.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	68.9	260 of 758	65.7%	★★★☆☆
2012	72.7	241 of 834	71.1%	★★★★☆
2011	71.2	240 of 825	70.9%	★★★★☆
2010	69.7	248 of 805	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2009	65.7	287 of 770	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2008	62.7	315 of 753	58.2%	★★★☆☆
2007	66.6	272 of 749	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2006	66.0	272 of 736	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	69.5	234 of 687	65.9%	★★★☆☆
2004	67.8	242 of 663	63.5%	★★★☆☆
2003	64.9	261 of 643	59.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	52.1	226 of 643	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.9	189 of 672	71.9%	★★★★☆
2023	77.3	72 of 660	89.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	70.5	210 of 835	74.9%	★★★★☆
2024	61.4	321 of 860	62.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	73.7	149 of 843	82.3%	★★★★☆
2024	69.9	211 of 877	75.9%	★★★★☆
2023	78.7	114 of 874	87.0%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	67.3	228 of 839	72.8%	★★★★☆
2024	68.9	241 of 870	72.3%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	55.7	250 of 649	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.7	326 of 673	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	61.1	228 of 681	66.5%	★★★☆☆

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)82nd percentile+8 vs school

Female (2025)75th percentile~ school

Male (2025)73rd percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)65th percentile-10 vs school

White (2025)61st percentile-13 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts60%+12 vs state

Math38%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near Derry Area 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 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 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
Derry Area Middle School	Public	6-8	994 North Chestnut St Ext	Derry	15627	Westmoreland County	Derry Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 694-8231	440	37	11.8	95.7%	401 (91.1%)	10 (2.3%)	7 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.0%)	70.4	222^nd of 873 public middle schools	74.6%		66.9	289^th of 891 public middle schools	67.6%	67			42.7	42.2	28.7	37.8			50.4	72.8	58.1	60.2	$18,710	$1,520	$17,190
Greater Latrobe Junior High School	Public	7-8	130 High School Rd	Latrobe	15650	Westmoreland County	Greater Latrobe School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 539-4265	499	45	11.0	33.5%	458 (91.8%)	4 (0.8%)	15 (3.0%)	4 (0.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.4%)	89.4	78^th of 873 public middle schools	91.1%		86.1	89^th of 891 public middle schools	90.0%	11				59.0	43.9	51.9				68.7	69.4	69.0	$20,233	$842	$19,391
Ligonier Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	536 Bell Street	Ligonier	15658	Westmoreland County	Ligonier Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 238-6412	268	22	11.9	46.6%	251 (93.7%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	8 (3.0%)	66.2	259^th of 873 public middle schools	70.3%		61.2	352^nd of 891 public middle schools	60.5%	93			48.5	25.5	23.2	30.6			68.3	61.7	58.1	62.2	$20,639	$798	$19,841
River Valley Middle School	Public	6-8	104 School Lane	Blairsville	15717	Indiana County	River Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 459-8880	332	23	14.3	95.8%	293 (88.3%)	9 (2.7%)	10 (3.0%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (4.8%)	55.5	380^th of 873 public middle schools	56.5%		55.9	404^th of 891 public middle schools	54.7%	24			39.4	37.8	28.6	35.7			43.5	40.7	51.7	45.0	$10,065	$00	$10,065
Wendover Middle School	Public	6-8	425 Wendover Jr High Dr	Greensburg	15601	Westmoreland County	Hempfield Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 838-4070	626	44	14.0	31.6%	560 (89.5%)	7 (1.1%)	12 (1.9%)	8 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.1%)	85.4	100^th of 873 public middle schools	88.5%		79.1	147^th of 891 public middle schools	83.5%	47			49.8	48.7	47.9	48.7			65.5	66.4	71.9	68.0	$19,775	$624	$19,151
Greensburg-Salem Middle School	Public	6-8	301 N Main St	Greensburg	15601	Westmoreland County	Greensburg Salem School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 832-2900	568	47	12.0	105.3%	423 (74.5%)	32 (5.6%)	42 (7.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	70 (12.3%)	47.6	468^th of 873 public middle schools	46.4%		49.2	468^th of 891 public middle schools	47.5%				36.4	27.9	23.4	29.3			40.4	40.7	48.0	43.0	$16,623	$1,636	$14,987
Mount Pleasant Area Junior High School	Public	7-8	265 State Street	Mount Pleasant	15666	Westmoreland County	Mount Pleasant Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 547-4100	290	21	14.0	42.8%	279 (96.2%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.1%)	63.8	295^th of 873 public middle schools	66.2%		59.9	366^th of 891 public middle schools	58.9%	71				41.0	25.2	33.4				51.4	53.4	52.3	$18,791	$787	$18,004
Penn Middle School	Public	6-8	1007 Penn Middle Way	Jeannette	15644	Westmoreland County	Penn-Trafford School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 744-4431	518	36	14.3	24.7%	484 (93.4%)	8 (1.5%)	2 (0.4%)	6 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.3%)	94.3	43^rd of 873 public middle schools	95.1%		93.6	40^th of 891 public middle schools	95.5%	3			65.9	64.8	50.6	60.8			74.6	83.1	77.3	78.3	$14,534	$227	$14,308
Ramsay Elementary School	Public	4-6	300 Eagle Street	Mount Pleasant	15666	Westmoreland County	Mount Pleasant Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 547-4100	396	26	15.0	50.0%	367 (92.7%)	1 (0.3%)	3 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	25 (6.3%)								(n/a)	52.2	36.3	53.4			47.7	52.9	41.6	61.0			52.0	$12,623	$528	$12,095
West Hempfield Middle School	Public	6-8	156 Northumberland Road	Irwin	15642	Westmoreland County	Hempfield Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 850-2140	546	43	12.5	47.1%	491 (89.9%)	8 (1.5%)	13 (2.4%)	3 (0.5%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.3%)	74.1	186^th of 873 public middle schools	78.7%		73.6	211^th of 891 public middle schools	76.3%	25			47.8	36.2	45.9	43.4			52.5	56.2	66.5	58.1	$19,577	$624	$18,952

Frequently Asked Questions about Derry Area Middle School

What district is Derry Area Middle School in?

Derry Area School District

How many students attend Derry Area Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 440 students attended Derry Area Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Derry Area Middle School attend?

Students who attend Derry Area Middle School usually go on to attend Derry Area Senior High School

Is Derry Area Middle School a good school?

Derry Area Middle School ranks 222^nd of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Derry Area Middle School?

Students at Derry Area Middle School are 91% White, 5% Two or more races, 2% African American, 2% Hispanic.

Rate Derry Area Middle School!

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PAPennsylvania Middle School Rankings

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Schools in Derry, 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.