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Laurel Middle School

Public Grades 7-8

86^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 90% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

Laurel Middle School is a public middle school located in New Castle, Pennsylvania, serving 163 students in grades 7-8. The school is part of the Laurel School District, which is ranked 60th out of 606 school districts in the state and has a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Laurel Middle School consistently ranks among the top middle schools in Pennsylvania, with a statewide ranking of 86 out of 873 schools in the 2024-2025 school year and a 5-star rating. The school's performance on PSSA tests is impressive, with 52.5% of students proficient or better in Math and 68.2% proficient or better in English Language Arts, outperforming the state averages. Laurel Middle School's performance is particularly strong in English Language Arts, with 7th-grade students achieving a 75.4% proficiency rate, significantly higher than the state average of 49.2%. The school's female students and low socioeconomic status students have also consistently ranked among the top performers in the state.

Compared to nearby middle schools, such as Mercer Area Middle School and Riverside Middle School, Laurel Middle School's academic performance is generally stronger, with higher proficiency rates on PSSA tests and higher statewide rankings. However, some nearby schools, like Slippery Rock Area Middle School, also demonstrate strong academic performance. Laurel Middle School's relatively low percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, at 36.2%, suggests a more socioeconomically diverse student population, which may contribute to its strong academic performance.

160

Students ?

24.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,521

Per pupil spending ?

36.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2497 Harlansburg RD
New Castle, PA 16101

(724) 658-9056

District: Laurel School District

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.9%

Asian:

1.3%

Two or more races:

1.3%

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Compare Laurel Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 68th percentile in 2019 → 90th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (60% vs 45% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 10% of Pennsylvania middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2019

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 24 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg65%

Pennsylvania avg45%

86^th of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Top 10%▲ up 22 pts since 2019

From top 32% (2019) to top 10% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

60^th of 606Laurel 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	88.5	86 of 873	90.1%	★★★★★
2024	81.2	130 of 891	85.4%	★★★★☆
2023	66.9	279 of 893	68.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	77.1	168 of 883	81.0%	★★★★☆
2021	77.3	138 of 797	82.7%	★★★★☆
2019	67.8	284 of 891	68.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	89.9	58 of 835	93.1%	★★★★★
2024	86.3	79 of 860	90.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	88.2	52 of 843	93.8%	★★★★★
2024	72.9	168 of 877	80.8%	★★★★☆
2023	46.3	472 of 874	46.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	81.6	119 of 839	85.8%	★★★★☆
2024	71.3	213 of 870	75.5%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	81.2	97 of 649	85.1%	★★★★☆
2024	67.9	172 of 673	74.4%	★★★★☆
2023	46.7	346 of 681	49.2%	★★☆☆☆

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)94th percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)93rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)86th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)85th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts68%+20 vs state

Math52%+11 vs state

★

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Schools Near Laurel Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	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
Laurel Middle School	Public	7-8	2497 Harlansburg RD	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-9056	160	7	24.3	36.9%	155 (96.9%)	1 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.3%)	88.5	86^th of 873 public middle schools	90.1%		81.2	130^th of 891 public middle schools	85.4%	44			61.1	44.3	52.5			75.4	61.3	68.2	$19,521	$403	$19,118
New Castle Junior High School	Public	6-8	310 E Lincoln Ave	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	New Castle Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 656-4700	689	42	16.3	98.8%	357 (51.8%)	126 (18.3%)	50 (7.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.4%)	152 (22.1%)	15.6	714^th of 873 public middle schools	18.2%		13.2	755^th of 891 public middle schools	15.3%	41		12.1	16.2	10.1	12.8		17.8	19.4	25.0	20.5	$18,178	$3,014	$15,164
Union Area Middle School	Public	6-8	2106 Camden Ave	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Union Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 658-4501	174	12	14.9	92.5%	125 (71.8%)	29 (16.7%)	3 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (9.8%)	52.3	406^th of 873 public middle schools	53.5%		66.7	290^th of 891 public middle schools	67.5%	116		29.4	22.5	27.4	26.5		52.9	46.9	50.0	50.0	$19,849	$1,538	$18,311
Wilmington Area Upper Elementary School	Public	5-6	400 Wood St	New Wilmington	16142	Lawrence County	Wilmington Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 656-8866	142	12	12.2	98.6%	139 (97.9%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.7%)								(n/a)	36.5	34.4			35.5	41.9	46.8			44.2	$14,188	$3,281	$10,908
Mohawk Junior High School	Public	6-8	385 Mohawk School Rd	New Castle	16102	Lawrence County	Mohawk Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 667-7782	329	22	15.1	50.5%	313 (95.1%)	2 (0.6%)	5 (1.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.4%)	76	163^rd of 873 public middle schools	81.3%		66.2	293^rd of 891 public middle schools	67.1%	130		48.1	52.0	40.7	46.8		54.7	64.0	52.7	56.9	$15,543	$794	$14,748
Hartman Intrmd School	Public	5-6	Crescent Avenue & 4th Street	Ellwood City	16117	Lawrence County	Ellwood City Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 758-3241	225	16	14.0	64.9%	207 (92.0%)	1 (0.4%)	6 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (4.9%)								(n/a)	48.5	36.6			42.3	57.4	58.0			57.8	$9,466	$256	$9,210
Slippery Rock Area Middle School	Public	6-8	201 Kiester Rd	Slippery Rock	16057	Butler County	Slippery Rock Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 794-2960	404	39	10.2	39.4%	380 (94.1%)	6 (1.5%)	4 (1.0%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.5%)	88.2	89^th of 873 public middle schools	89.8%		85.4	96^th of 891 public middle schools	89.2%	7		63.1	61.4	42.3	55.0		69.7	68.1	65.7	67.8	$11,757	$206	$11,551
Riverside Middle School	Public	6-8	302 Country Club Dr	Ellwood City	16117	Beaver County	Riverside Beaver County School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 758-7512	307	19	16.5	55.4%	288 (93.8%)	3 (1.0%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (3.6%)	74.2	183^rd of 873 public middle schools	79.0%		80.6	131^st of 891 public middle schools	85.3%	52		33.7	47.7	47.6	42.8		52.5	69.4	57.7	59.3	$15,760	$507	$15,253
Grove City Area Middle School	Public	6-8	100 Middle School Drive	Grove City	16127	Mercer County	Grove City Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 458-8040	442	37	11.8	42.1%	396 (89.6%)	11 (2.5%)	13 (2.9%)	4 (0.9%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.6%)	73.3	194^th of 873 public middle schools	77.8%		73.8	208^th of 891 public middle schools	76.7%	14		52.7	43.5	43.3	46.2		50.9	52.7	56.2	53.5	$20,221	$1,111	$19,110
Mercer Area Middle School	Public	7-8	545 W Butler Street	Mercer	16137	Mercer County	Mercer Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 662-5104	136	10	13.9	97.8%	124 (91.2%)	4 (2.9%)	1 (0.7%)	2 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (3.7%)	66	264^th of 873 public middle schools	69.8%		62	336^th of 891 public middle schools	62.3%	72			28.7	26.9	27.9			57.6	65.6	61.6	$16,701	$957	$15,744

Frequently Asked Questions about Laurel Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Laurel Middle School?

Students at Laurel Middle School are 97% White, 1% Asian, 1% Two or more races.

How many students attend Laurel Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 160 students attended Laurel Middle School.

Is Laurel Middle School a good school?

Yes. Laurel Middle School ranks in the top 9.9% of Pennsylvania middle schools.

What district is Laurel Middle School in?

Laurel School District

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Schools in New Castle, PA

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Latest Pennsylvania data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 29, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesMar 27, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataJan 29, 2026

2024–25 Keystone Exams & PSSA scoresNov 13, 2025

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.