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McDowell High School

Q: Is McDowell High School a good school?

McDowell High School ranks 140 th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

140^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 79% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

McDowell High School is a public high school located in Erie, Pennsylvania, serving 2,161 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Millcreek Township School District, which is ranked 97 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger.

McDowell High School consistently ranks among the top 25% of high schools in Pennsylvania, with a statewide ranking between 129-140 out of 600+ high schools over the past 5 years. The school maintains a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating strong academic performance, and has high four-year graduation rates ranging from 87.5% to 92.4%, which are above the state average. McDowell students also outperform the state average on Keystone Exams in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature, with proficiency rates of 59%, 61%, and 73.9% respectively, compared to the state averages of 44.3%, 49.3%, and 62.1%.

Compared to nearby high schools in the Fort LeBoeuf, Harbor Creek, General McLane, Girard, and Iroquois school districts, McDowell High School's performance is generally stronger, with higher rankings and better outcomes on key metrics like test scores and graduation rates. Despite having a relatively high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, the school maintains its strong academic performance, suggesting effective strategies for supporting diverse student populations.

2,133

Students ?

14.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,703

Per pupil spending ?

48.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3580 West 38th St
Erie, PA 16506

(814) 835-5403

District: Millcreek Township School District

Feeder schools for McDowell High School:

Elementary:	Asbury Elementary School
	Belle Valley Elementary School
	Chestnut Hill Elementary School
	Grandview Elementary School
	More...
	Tracy Elementary School
Middle:	James S Wilson Middle School
	Walnut Creek Middle School
	Westlake Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

78.5%

Two or more races:

6.5%

Asian:

5.9%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare McDowell High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 47th percentile in 2015 → 79th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (65% vs 52% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 21% of Pennsylvania high schools

✓93% graduate in 4 years — above the Pennsylvania average (89%)

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school65%

District avg65%

Pennsylvania avg52%

140^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Top 21%▲ up 32 pts since 2015

From bottom 47% (2015) to top 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

97^th of 606Millcreek Township 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	77.8	140 of 681	79.4%	★★★★☆
2024	78.2	129 of 686	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.1	136 of 674	79.8%	★★★★☆
2022	77.6	137 of 634	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	75.3	138 of 537	74.3%	★★★★☆
2019	77.0	159 of 693	77.1%	★★★★☆
2018	75.6	171 of 673	74.6%	★★★★☆
2017	74.9	169 of 663	74.5%	★★★★☆
2016	59.7	355 of 677	47.6%	★★☆☆☆
2015	58.7	360 of 680	47.1%	★★☆☆☆
2014	55.0	310 of 580	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2013	60.9	245 of 591	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2012	59.2	330 of 664	50.3%	★★★☆☆
2011	74.3	151 of 660	77.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	47.5	132 of 276	52.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.8	79 of 284	72.2%	★★★★☆
2023	44.3	135 of 260	48.1%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	99 of 125	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	56.5	69 of 121	43.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.3	75 of 112	33.0%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	56.8	175 of 524	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	62.5	142 of 513	72.3%	★★★★☆
2023	52.3	196 of 502	61.0%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	52.8	30 of 109	72.5%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	79.2	122 of 657	81.4%	★★★★☆
2024	80.1	111 of 665	83.3%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	77.5	48 of 287	83.3%	★★★★☆
2024	67.4	73 of 274	73.4%	★★★★☆
2023	61.0	91 of 252	63.9%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	75.8	131 of 651	79.9%	★★★★☆
2024	74.8	139 of 664	79.1%	★★★★☆
2023	73.4	149 of 652	77.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	74.3	160 of 660	75.8%	★★★★☆
2024	74.3	156 of 662	76.4%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	49.0	84 of 165	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	70.3	45 of 150	70.0%	★★★★☆
2023	65.4	49 of 129	62.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	74.2	133 of 583	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	72.9	147 of 595	75.3%	★★★★☆
2023	75.2	131 of 577	77.3%	★★★★☆

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)83rd percentile+4 vs school

Female (2025)81st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)80th percentile~ school

White (2025)77th percentile~ school

Male (2025)76th percentile-4 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)72nd percentile-7 vs school

Disabled (2025)67th percentile-13 vs school

African American (2025)52nd percentile-27 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)49th percentile-30 vs school

Asian (2025)21st percentile-59 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature74%+12 vs state

Biology61%+12 vs state

Algebra I59%+15 vs state

★

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Schools Near McDowell High 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)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	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	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	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
McDowell High School	Public	9-12	3580 West 38th St	Erie	16506	Erie County	Millcreek Township School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 835-5403	2,133	148	14.3	48.9%	1,675 (78.5%)	71 (3.3%)	116 (5.4%)	126 (5.9%)	6 (0.3%)	1 (0.0%)	138 (6.5%)	77.8	140^th of 681 public high schools	79.4%		78.2	129^th of 686 public high schools	81.2%	11	59.0	61.0	73.9									$15,703	$390	$15,313
Erie High School	Public	9-12	3325 Cherry St	Erie	16508	Erie County	Erie City School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 874-6200	2,501	180	13.8	96.6%	886 (35.4%)	1,048 (41.9%)	316 (12.6%)	116 (4.6%)	7 (0.3%)	1 (0.0%)	127 (5.1%)	2.3	666^th of 681 public high schools	2.2%		3.1	663^rd of 686 public high schools	3.4%	3	2.7	7.9	12.4									$3,040	$2,250	$789
Erie County Technical School	Public	9-12	8500 Oliver Road	Erie	16509	Erie County	Erie County Technical School	No	No	No	No	(814) 464-8600	2	26	.0		1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (50.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Northwest PA Collegiate Academy	Public, Magnet	9-12	2825 State St	Erie	16508	Erie County	Erie City School District	No	Yes	No	No	(814) 874-6300	750	54	14.0	99.6%	406 (54.1%)	164 (21.9%)	73 (9.7%)	54 (7.2%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (6.8%)	82	98^th of 681 public high schools	85.6%		92.2	39^th of 686 public high schools	94.3%	59	58.9	67.1	77.1									$3,737	$2,766	$971
Perseus House Charter School of Excellence	Public, Charter	6-12	1511 Peach Street	Erie	16501	Erie County	Perseus House Charter School of Excellence	Yes	No	No	Yes	(814) 480-5914	627	34	18.6	78.1%	158 (25.2%)	246 (39.2%)	136 (21.7%)	48 (7.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.1%)	2.4	664^th of 681 public high schools	2.5%		2.1	675^th of 686 public high schools	1.6%	11	3.5	8.8	8.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	24.4	20.0	1.5	13.0	$20,948	$5,659	$15,289
Fairview High School	Public	9-12	7460 McCray Rd	Fairview	16415	Erie County	Fairview School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 474-2600	593	41	14.4	27.3%	488 (82.3%)	9 (1.5%)	26 (4.4%)	37 (6.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (5.6%)	91.4	41^st of 681 public high schools	94.0%		93.4	29^th of 686 public high schools	95.8%	12	85.1	76.6	77.9									$19,044	$331	$18,713
Iroquois Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	4301 Main Street	Erie	16511	Erie County	Iroquois School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 899-7643	560	40	14.1	97.9%	452 (80.7%)	35 (6.3%)	27 (4.8%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (7.0%)	79.3	122^nd of 681 public high schools	82.1%		67.5	227^th of 686 public high schools	66.9%	105	57.6	65.1	74.4		33.0	27.5	30.1		49.4	45.1	47.1	$24,652	$940	$23,712
Girard High School	Public	9-12	1135 Lake St	Girard	16417	Erie County	Girard School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 774-5607	477	32	14.8	105.9%	436 (91.4%)	3 (0.6%)	19 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.0%)	73.6	175^th of 681 public high schools	74.3%		75.7	156^th of 686 public high schools	77.3%	19	57.0	61.6	67.8									$20,109	$880	$19,229
General McLane High School	Public	9-12	11761 Edinboro Rd	Edinboro	16412	Erie County	General McLane School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 273-1033	690	47	14.7	44.1%	631 (91.4%)	5 (0.7%)	19 (2.8%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (4.5%)	86.1	70^th of 681 public high schools	89.7%		62.8	263^rd of 686 public high schools	61.7%	193	67.0	69.4	77.4									$16,679	$157	$16,522
Fort LeBoeuf Senior High School	Public	9-12	931 N High St	Waterford	16441	Erie County	Fort LeBoeuf School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 796-2616	652	49	13.2	56.4%	627 (96.2%)	3 (0.5%)	12 (1.8%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (0.9%)	85.1	78^th of 681 public high schools	88.5%		88.2	55^th of 686 public high schools	92.0%	23	62.1	68.0	80.4									$17,422	$395	$17,027

Frequently Asked Questions about McDowell High School

How many students attend McDowell High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,133 students attended McDowell High School.

What schools feed into McDowell High School?

McDowell High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Asbury Elementary School
Elementary : Belle Valley Elementary School
Elementary : Chestnut Hill Elementary School
Elementary : Grandview Elementary School
Elementary : Tracy Elementary School
Middle : James S Wilson Middle School
Middle : Walnut Creek Middle School
Middle : Westlake Middle School

What district is McDowell High School in?

Millcreek Township School District

Is McDowell High School a good school?

McDowell High School ranks 140^th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of McDowell High School?

Students at McDowell High School are 79% White, 6% Two or more races, 6% Asian, 5% Hispanic, 3% African American.

Rate McDowell High School!

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Schools in Erie, 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.