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Northern Lehigh Middle School

Q: Is Northern Lehigh Middle School a good school?

Northern Lehigh Middle School ranks 450 th of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

450^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 48% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

Northern Lehigh Middle School is a public middle school serving 230 students in grades 7-8 in Slatington, Pennsylvania, which is part of the Northern Lehigh School District. The school consistently underperforms the state average on PSSA tests in both Math and English Language Arts, with only 22.4% of students proficient or better in PSSA Math compared to the state average of 41.7%, and 47.9% proficient in ELA compared to 48.5% statewide.

Northern Lehigh Middle School struggles with achievement gaps across different student subgroups, with Hispanic students and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds performing particularly poorly, ranking in the bottom 25% of Pennsylvania middle schools in those categories. The school also has higher dropout rates than the state average, ranging from 0.8% to 1.6% over the past few years compared to the state average of around 1.4%. Despite spending significantly more per student ($23,168 in 2022-2023) compared to the state average, these higher expenditures have not translated to better academic outcomes.

Nearby middle schools in the Allentown and Parkland districts, such as Springhouse Middle School, significantly outperform Northern Lehigh Middle School on test scores and other metrics. The school's ranking among Pennsylvania middle schools has also steadily declined from 374 in 2014-2015 to 450 in 2024-2025, with its star rating dropping from 3 to 2 over that time period.

238

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$22,753

Per pupil spending ?

96.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

600 Diamond St
Slatington, PA 18080-1313

(610) 767-9812

District: Northern Lehigh School District

Students who attend Northern Lehigh Middle School usually attend:

High:

Northern Lehigh Senior High School

Feeder schools for Northern Lehigh Middle School:

Elementary:	Peters Elementary School
	Slatington Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.5%

Hispanic:

17.6%

Two or more races:

5.5%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare Northern Lehigh Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 34th percentile in 2022 → 48th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 48th (2025) from a 34th-percentile low (2022)

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (35% vs 45% meeting standards)

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

!Math scores 19 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg35%

Pennsylvania avg45%

450^th of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Bottom 48%▼ down 7 pts since 2015

From top 45% (2015) to bottom 48% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

411^th of 606Northern Lehigh 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	48.6	450 of 873	48.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.3	383 of 891	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	49.9	469 of 893	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	34.7	585 of 883	33.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	40.9	487 of 797	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	46.5	519 of 891	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.1	479 of 861	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.5	488 of 877	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2016	49.9	484 of 870	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	57.1	374 of 835	55.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	32.9	550 of 728	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	44.0	513 of 758	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	52.5	494 of 834	40.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	59.6	404 of 825	51.0%	★★★☆☆
2010	66.1	303 of 805	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2009	50.2	476 of 770	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2008	52.0	441 of 753	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	55.6	408 of 749	45.5%	★★☆☆☆
2006	49.0	455 of 736	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2005	36.3	516 of 687	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	51.1	408 of 663	38.5%	★★☆☆☆
2003	53.1	376 of 643	41.5%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	53.0	218 of 643	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	65.0	148 of 672	78.0%	★★★★☆
2023	34.5	419 of 660	36.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	434 of 835	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	54.8	414 of 860	51.9%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	238 of 348	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.0	290 of 362	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.3	250 of 362	30.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	30.3	608 of 843	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.8	503 of 877	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.1	485 of 874	44.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	45.9	449 of 839	46.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.3	358 of 870	58.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	35.6	427 of 649	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.7	315 of 673	53.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.2	385 of 681	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2025)66th percentile+18 vs school

Female (2025)48th percentile~ school

Male (2025)46th percentile~ school

White (2025)34th percentile-14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)32nd percentile-17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)28th percentile-21 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts48%~ state avg

Math22%-19 vs state

1.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Food is gross and has gotten me sick so many times, teachers aren't strict enough with students keeping their masks one, also there's one teacher who's a big creep Close Quote

Schools Near Northern Lehigh 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
Northern Lehigh Middle School	Public	7-8	600 Diamond St	Slatington	18080	Lehigh County	Northern Lehigh School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 767-9812	238	20	11.6	96.6%	175 (73.5%)	6 (2.5%)	42 (17.6%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (5.5%)	48.6	450^th of 873 public middle schools	48.5%		58.3	383^rd of 891 public middle schools	57.0%	67			21.9	22.9	22.4			45.5	50.5	47.9	$22,753	$499	$22,254
Palmerton Area Junior High School	Public	7-8	3529 Fireline Rd	Palmerton	18071	Carbon County	Palmerton Area School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 826-2492	261	20	12.9	48.3%	233 (89.3%)	2 (0.8%)	21 (8.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.5%)	60.2	330^th of 873 public middle schools	62.2%		71.3	231^st of 891 public middle schools	74.1%	99			34.2	31.3	32.7			53.1	45.4	49.0	$16,788	$765	$16,023
Lehighton Area Middle School	Public	6-8	301 Beaver Run Rd	Lehighton	18235	Carbon County	Lehighton Area School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 377-6535	478	44	10.9	52.5%	391 (81.8%)	7 (1.5%)	55 (11.5%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.4%)	50.6	428^th of 873 public middle schools	51.0%		49	472^nd of 891 public middle schools	47.0%	44		38.7	28.0	24.9	30.5		40.9	46.0	47.4	44.8	$19,666	$1,000	$18,666
Northwestern Lehigh Middle School	Public	6-8	6636 Northwest Rd	New Tripoli	18066	Lehigh County	Northwestern Lehigh School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 298-8661	440	34	12.8	24.8%	400 (90.9%)	5 (1.1%)	18 (4.1%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.4%)	80.6	132^nd of 873 public middle schools	84.9%		75.1	196^th of 891 public middle schools	78.0%	64		57.4	46.1	36.7	46.7		59.4	69.6	62.0	63.4	$21,476	$404	$21,073
Northampton Area Middle School	Public	6-8	1617 Laubach Ave	Northampton	18067	Northampton County	Northampton Area School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 262-7817	1,175	84	13.9	49.4%	907 (77.2%)	36 (3.1%)	186 (15.8%)	7 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (3.3%)	54.3	393^rd of 873 public middle schools	55.0%		49	474^th of 891 public middle schools	46.8%	81		43.7	31.6	16.6	30.2		53.9	47.2	46.3	49.0	$19,428	$1,199	$18,229
Orefield Middle School	Public	6-8	2675 PA Route 309	Orefield	18069	Lehigh County	Parkland School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 351-5750	1,034	76	13.5	34.5%	650 (62.9%)	44 (4.3%)	206 (19.9%)	83 (8.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	49 (4.7%)	84.3	110^th of 873 public middle schools	87.4%		82.9	117^th of 891 public middle schools	86.9%	7		70.2	49.1	36.6	53.0		68.9	63.6	60.7	64.6	$23,810	$531	$23,280
Whitehall-Coplay Middle School	Public	6-8	2930 Zephyr Blvd	Whitehall	18052	Lehigh County	Whitehall-Coplay School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 439-1439	975	65	15.0	102.4%	381 (39.1%)	90 (9.2%)	397 (40.7%)	47 (4.8%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	55 (5.6%)	55.1	383^rd of 873 public middle schools	56.1%		54.8	418^th of 891 public middle schools	53.1%	35		31.7	32.2	33.2	32.4		46.0	43.4	51.2	47.0	$16,506	$1,033	$15,473
Catasauqua Middle School	Public	5-8	850 Pine street	Catasauqua	18032	Lehigh County	Catasauqua Area School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 264-4341	477	32	14.9	98.1%	224 (47.0%)	35 (7.3%)	179 (37.5%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	34 (7.1%)	46.9	475^th of 873 public middle schools	45.6%		41.5	544^th of 891 public middle schools	38.9%	69	27.4	33.0	32.4	23.9	29.0	22.1	34.9	49.5	40.7	36.6	$18,331	$1,123	$17,208
Springhouse Middle School	Public	6-8	1200 Springhouse Rd	Allentown	18104	Lehigh County	Parkland School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 351-5700	1,329	89	14.9	32.0%	707 (53.2%)	69 (5.2%)	242 (18.2%)	258 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	52 (3.9%)	91.5	61^st of 873 public middle schools	93.0%		92.3	46^th of 891 public middle schools	94.8%	15		65.2	60.9	46.5	57.6		73.1	74.9	68.8	72.2	$19,689	$529	$19,160
Trexler Middle School	Public	6-8	851 N 15th St	Allentown	18102	Lehigh County	Allentown City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(484) 765-4601	771	55	14.0	105.6%	39 (5.1%)	86 (11.2%)	597 (77.4%)	7 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (5.4%)	7.9	827^th of 873 public middle schools	5.3%		8.1	822^nd of 891 public middle schools	7.7%	5		5.9	2.6	2.7	3.7		17.4	11.1	14.8	14.4	$20,994	$3,377	$17,617

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern Lehigh Middle School

How many students attend Northern Lehigh Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 238 students attended Northern Lehigh Middle School.

What high school do graduates of Northern Lehigh Middle School attend?

Students who attend Northern Lehigh Middle School usually go on to attend Northern Lehigh Senior High School

Is Northern Lehigh Middle School a good school?

Northern Lehigh Middle School ranks 450^th of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Northern Lehigh Middle School in?

Northern Lehigh School District

What is the racial makeup of Northern Lehigh Middle School?

Students at Northern Lehigh Middle School are 74% White, 18% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 3% African American.

Rate Northern Lehigh Middle School!

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Schools in Slatington, 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.