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Penn Hills Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

1231^st

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

Penn Hills Elementary School is a public elementary school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serving 1,238 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Penn Hills School District, which is ranked 529 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Penn Hills Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom 20% of Pennsylvania elementary schools, with a 1-star rating and significantly lower proficiency rates in PSSA Math and English Language Arts compared to the state averages. The school has an extremely high percentage of students (over 99%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage. Despite the school's relatively high spending per student, ranging from $9,149 to $15,306 over the past few years, and a relatively low student-teacher ratio, the academic outcomes do not reflect this investment.

Interestingly, while Penn Hills Elementary's overall performance is low, its performance for specific student subgroups is more nuanced. The school ranks in the top 50% of Pennsylvania elementary schools for African American and Hispanic students, suggesting that these students are performing better relative to their peers statewide. However, the school ranks in the bottom 15% for White students, indicating significant racial/ethnic achievement gaps. Nearby schools, such as Propel Cs-Pitcairn, Turner Intermediate School, and Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy, also struggle with low academic performance, high percentages of economically disadvantaged students, and low rankings compared to the state, suggesting that the challenges faced by Penn Hills Elementary are not unique and may be reflective of broader systemic issues in the region.

1,228

Students ?

13.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,445

Per pupil spending ?

100.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1079 Jefferson Rd
Pittsburgh, PA 15235

(412) 793-7000

District: Penn Hills School District

Students who attend Penn Hills Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Linton Middle School
High:	Penn Hills Senior High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

57.2%

White:

22.8%

Two or more races:

11.2%

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At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 17th percentile in 2017 → 19th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (26% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 21 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg22%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,231^st of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 1 pts since 2017

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

529^th of 606Penn Hills 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	18.3	1231 of 1511	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.3	1150 of 1526	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	1257 of 1534	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	18.7	1230 of 1534	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	12.4	1226 of 1433	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.7	1165 of 1544	24.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.9	1234 of 1530	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	17.6	1278 of 1547	17.4%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	46.9	186 of 413	55.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.0	170 of 437	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	45.7	203 of 437	53.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	29.6	718 of 1030	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.1	732 of 1084	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	20.6	872 of 1043	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	1174 of 1466	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	1145 of 1488	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	34.8	274 of 429	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	74.5	92 of 454	79.7%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	20.5	1138 of 1369	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.3	1093 of 1432	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	21.1	1142 of 1414	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	17.5	1212 of 1475	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	1130 of 1495	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	31.1	58 of 100	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.8	52 of 128	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.0	65 of 117	44.4%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	19.9	1046 of 1201	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.5	946 of 1229	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.3	1112 of 1236	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆

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)55th percentile+36 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)42nd percentile+23 vs school

Hispanic (2025)36th percentile+18 vs school

Disabled (2025)30th percentile+12 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile~ school

Male (2025)18th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)17th percentile~ school

White (2025)13th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts27%-21 vs state

Math25%-17 vs state

2.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, April 4, 2019

Penn Hills Elementary School is not a good school. I had to pay a private tutor to teach my child things he should be learning at this school. My son does good in class and is a hard worker, but he is not learning everything he should be to enter the 3rd grade. The gap has been closed by me getting extra help from an outside source. Communication with teachers is okay, but it could be a lot better. I had a few problems with my son and other kids at this school, and things should've been handled in a manner that would be acceptable. Too many times a slap on the wrist. I would not recommend this school to any parent unless they had no other options. Close Quote

Schools Near Penn Hills Elementary 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 3rd Grade	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 3rd Grade	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
Penn Hills Elementary School	Public	K-5	1079 Jefferson Rd	Pittsburgh	15235	Allegheny County	Penn Hills School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 793-7000	1,228	88	13.9	100.8%	280 (22.8%)	702 (57.2%)	91 (7.4%)	15 (1.2%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	138 (11.2%)	18.3	1231^st of 1511 public elementary schools	18.5%		25.3	1150^th of 1526 public elementary schools	24.6%	81	24.8	35.5	15.5				24.9	21.7	35.0	26.0				27.1	$15,445	$2,034	$13,412
Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship	Public, Charter	K-8	2501 Main Street	Pittsburgh	15235	Allegheny County	Penn Hills Charter School of Entrepreneurship	Yes	No	No	Yes	(412) 793-6471	527	46	11.4	94.5%	52 (9.9%)	423 (80.3%)	17 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (5.9%)	36.6	1008^th of 1511 public elementary schools	33.3%		27.3	1135^th of 1526 public elementary schools	25.6%	127	51.5	41.6	12.8	27.5	18.6	11.6	29.4	34.8	40.6	30.9	54.9	55.8	55.8	44.1	$19,340	$2,018	$17,322
Wilkins Elementary STEAM Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	362 Churchill Rd	Pittsburgh	15235	Allegheny County	Woodland Hills School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 824-3231	447	44	10.1	81.9%	92 (20.6%)	226 (50.6%)	61 (13.6%)	7 (1.6%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (13.0%)	15.2	1269^th of 1511 public elementary schools	16.0%		23.6	1169^th of 1526 public elementary schools	23.4%	100	30.9	21.5	18.6				24.2	32.3	21.2	15.1				23.7	$41,796	$3,695	$38,101
Evergreen Elementary School	Public	K-4	3831 Evergreen Dr	Monroeville	15146	Allegheny County	Gateway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 373-5842	317	24	13.2	95.6%	124 (39.1%)	96 (30.3%)	27 (8.5%)	31 (9.8%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (11.7%)	82.8	241^st of 1511 public elementary schools	84.1%		85.1	191^st of 1526 public elementary schools	87.5%	50	65.5	82.7					74.1	62.0	77.2					69.5	$26,451	$1,169	$25,282
Dr Cleveland Steward Junior Elementary School	Public	K-4	5000 Gateway Campus Blvd	Monroeville	15146	Allegheny County	Gateway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 373-5874	292	27	10.8	105.1%	120 (41.1%)	103 (35.3%)	19 (6.5%)	8 (2.7%)	3 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (13.4%)	43.7	919^th of 1511 public elementary schools	39.2%		46.8	912^th of 1526 public elementary schools	40.2%	7	55.5	35.7					45.5	44.5	46.4					45.5	$25,007	$2,214	$22,793
Propel Cs-East	Public, Charter	K-8	1611 Monroeville Ave	Turtle Creek	15145	Allegheny County	Propel CS-East	Yes	No	No	Yes	(412) 325-7305	339	25	13.4	98.2%	53 (15.6%)	231 (68.1%)	12 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (11.8%)	25.6	1133^rd of 1511 public elementary schools	25.0%		21.4	1196^th of 1526 public elementary schools	21.6%	63	35.1	20.6	20.7	17.5	8.6	12.8	19.2	27.0	5.8	41.4	52.5	33.3	46.2	34.8	$22,426	$1,947	$20,479
Turner Intermediate School	Public	3-6	1833 Laketon Rd	Wilkinsburg	15221	Allegheny County	Wilkinsburg Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 731-5883	200	26	7.6	115.0%	6 (3.0%)	170 (85.0%)	9 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (7.5%)	14.1	1287^th of 1511 public elementary schools	14.8%		9.8	1364^th of 1526 public elementary schools	10.6%	77	16.7	26.9	26.5	13.5			21.1	10.2	20.0	16.0	33.3			18.9	$42,155	$16,303	$25,852
O'Block Elementary School	Public	K-4	201 Center New Texas Rd	Pittsburgh	15239	Allegheny County	Plum Borough School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 795-4420	512	35	14.5	39.8%	391 (76.4%)	54 (10.5%)	20 (3.9%)	19 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.5%)	64.3	586^th of 1511 public elementary schools	61.2%		60.4	703^rd of 1526 public elementary schools	53.9%	117	57.6	63.3					60.6	49.4	58.6					54.4	$17,699	$529	$17,169
Turtle Creek Elementary STEAM Academy	Public	PK, KG-5	126 Monroeville Ave	Turtle Creek	15145	Allegheny County	Woodland Hills School District	No	No	No	Yes	(412) 824-2450	580	43	13.4	73.6%	149 (25.7%)	340 (58.6%)	33 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (9.7%)	22.3	1166^th of 1511 public elementary schools	22.8%		28.8	1118^th of 1526 public elementary schools	26.7%	48	28.4	15.3	33.8				26.0	35.1	16.7	36.4				29.6	$39,739	$3,513	$36,226
Propel Cs-Pitcairn	Public, Charter	K-8	435 Agatha Street	Pittsburgh	15140	Allegheny County	Propel CS-Pitcairn	Yes	No	No	Yes	(412) 325-7305	182	17	10.6	98.4%	21 (11.5%)	136 (74.7%)	7 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (9.3%)	9.4	1366^th of 1511 public elementary schools	9.6%		15.5	1281^st of 1526 public elementary schools	16.1%	85	25.0	12.5	5.0	0.0	16.7	0.0	11.2	21.4	0.0	15.0	31.6	36.8	20.0	21.4	$24,466	$2,856	$21,610

Frequently Asked Questions about Penn Hills Elementary School

What district is Penn Hills Elementary School in?

Penn Hills School District

What schools do graduates of Penn Hills Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Penn Hills Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Linton Middle School
High : Penn Hills Senior High School

How many students attend Penn Hills Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,228 students attended Penn Hills Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Penn Hills Elementary School?

Students at Penn Hills Elementary School are 57% African American, 23% White, 11% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic, 1% Asian.

Is Penn Hills Elementary School a good school?

Penn Hills Elementary School ranks in the bottom 18.5% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

Rate Penn Hills Elementary School!

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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.