Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

New Castle Junior High School

Public Grades 6-8

714^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 18% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

New Castle Junior High School is a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in New Castle, Pennsylvania, with an enrollment of 681 students. The school is part of the New Castle Area School District, which is ranked 509 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, New Castle Junior High School consistently performs below the state and district averages in PSSA Math and English Language Arts proficiency across all grades. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's overall Math proficiency was 12.8% compared to the state average of 41.7% and the district average of 20.4%. Similarly, its overall ELA proficiency was 20.5% compared to the state's 48.5% and the district's 22.1%. The school also has relatively high dropout rates, ranging from 0.2% to 2.1% over the past few years, which are higher than the state average.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Grove City Area Middle School, Mercer Area Middle School, and Slippery Rock Area Middle School, New Castle Junior High School performs significantly worse academically. Despite the school's low performance, it has relatively high per-student spending, raising questions about the effective allocation and utilization of resources to drive academic improvement.

689

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,178

Per pupil spending ?

98.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

310 E Lincoln Ave
New Castle, PA 16101

(724) 656-4700

District: New Castle Area School District

Students who attend New Castle Junior High School usually attend:

High:

New Castle Senior High School

Feeder schools for New Castle Junior High School:

Elementary:

Washington Intrmd School

Racial breakdown:

White:

51.8%

Two or more races:

22.1%

African American:

18.3%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare New Castle Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (17% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 13 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg21%

Pennsylvania avg45%

714^th of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Bottom 18%▼ down 13 pts since 2015

From bottom 31% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

509^th of 606New Castle 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	15.6	714 of 873	18.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	755 of 891	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.6	763 of 893	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.2	733 of 883	17.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.8	696 of 797	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	21.1	677 of 891	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.2	605 of 861	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	28.3	627 of 877	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	28.8	622 of 870	28.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	31.4	577 of 835	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	248 of 393	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.4	312 of 408	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.8	391 of 421	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	27.6	482 of 643	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.9	521 of 672	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.5	538 of 660	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	18.6	670 of 835	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.3	727 of 860	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	294 of 348	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.3	321 of 362	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.2	305 of 362	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	20.0	688 of 843	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.4	737 of 877	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	743 of 874	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	12.5	735 of 839	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.1	755 of 870	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	9.7	166 of 174	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	11.3	191 of 199	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.7	170 of 187	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	7.5	628 of 649	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.5	654 of 673	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.9	666 of 681	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)37th percentile+19 vs school

Disabled (2025)25th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)18th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)16th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2025)12th percentile-6 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)5th percentile-14 vs school

White (2025)3rd percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts20%-28 vs state

Math13%-29 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate New Castle Junior High School and help other families decide.

Rate New Castle Junior High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near New Castle Junior High 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Oakview Elementary School	Public	4-6	3591 Sharon Rd	West Middlesex	16159	Mercer County	West Middlesex Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 634-3030	171	17	10.0	51.5%	156 (91.2%)	2 (1.2%)	8 (4.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (2.9%)								(n/a)	52.7	44.5	50.9			49.4	58.2	53.7	60.0			57.4	$20,659	$3,713	$16,946
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about New Castle Junior High School

What high school do graduates of New Castle Junior High School attend?

Students who attend New Castle Junior High School usually go on to attend New Castle Senior High School

What district is New Castle Junior High School in?

New Castle Area School District

How many students attend New Castle Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 689 students attended New Castle Junior High School.

What is the racial makeup of New Castle Junior High School?

Students at New Castle Junior High School are 52% White, 22% Two or more races, 18% African American, 7% Hispanic.

Is New Castle Junior High School a good school?

New Castle Junior High School ranks in the bottom 18.2% of Pennsylvania middle schools.

Rate New Castle Junior High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

PAPennsylvania Middle School Rankings

PAPennsylvania District Rankings

Schools in New Castle, PA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for New Castle Junior High School!

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.