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

James Buchanan Middle School

Q: Is James Buchanan Middle School a good school?

James Buchanan Middle School ranks 485 th of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

485^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 44% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

James Buchanan Middle School is a public middle school located in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 554 students. The school is part of the Tuscarora School District, which is ranked 308 out of 606 school districts in Pennsylvania and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, James Buchanan Middle School's performance, as measured by PSSA test scores, is generally below the state and district averages. The school's proficiency rates in Math (28.3%) and English Language Arts (41.4%) were lower than the state (41.7% and 48.5%) and district (41.7% and 44.8%) averages in the 2024-2025 school year. The school's performance is particularly weak in Math, with proficiency rates consistently below 32% across all grade levels, compared to the state average of around 30-38%. However, the school's performance in Science is relatively stronger, with 8th-grade proficiency rates around 60-68% in recent years, exceeding the state average.

Compared to nearby middle schools, such as Fannett-Metal Middle School, Waynesboro Area Middle School, and Chambersburg Area Middle School - North, James Buchanan Middle School generally performs worse academically, with lower proficiency rates in Math and English Language Arts. The school has also experienced relatively high dropout rates in recent years, ranging from 0.7% to 1.6%, which are higher than the state average.

535

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,614

Per pupil spending ?

103.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

5191 Fort Loudon Rd
Mercersburg, PA 17236-9692

(717) 328-5221

District: Tuscarora School District

Students who attend James Buchanan Middle School usually attend:

High:

James Buchanan High School

Feeder schools for James Buchanan Middle School:

Elementary:	Mercersburg Elementary School
	Montgomery Elementary School
	Mountain View Elementary School
	St Thomas Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.2%

Hispanic:

3.6%

Two or more races:

3.2%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare James Buchanan Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 62nd percentile in 2015 → 44th in 2025

Worth a look

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

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2015

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg43%

Pennsylvania avg45%

485^th of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Bottom 44%▼ down 17 pts since 2015

From top 38% (2015) to bottom 44% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

308^th of 606Tuscarora 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	46.0	485 of 873	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	56.1	402 of 891	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.8	368 of 893	58.8%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.1	350 of 883	60.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	50.9	403 of 797	49.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	59.8	393 of 891	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	65.6	307 of 861	64.3%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.8	308 of 877	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.0	281 of 870	67.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	62.3	318 of 835	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	51.8	424 of 728	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.8	443 of 758	41.6%	★★☆☆☆
2012	56.7	451 of 834	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	56.5	442 of 825	46.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	53.7	464 of 805	42.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	50.1	479 of 770	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.7	394 of 753	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	59.5	359 of 749	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	54.7	404 of 736	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2005	58.7	331 of 687	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	72.4	196 of 663	70.4%	★★★★☆
2003	73.4	180 of 643	72.0%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	38.0	360 of 643	44.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	58.6	192 of 672	71.4%	★★★★☆
2023	44.0	321 of 660	51.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	47.8	450 of 835	46.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.5	346 of 860	59.8%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	43.0	488 of 843	42.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.3	375 of 877	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	58.1	333 of 874	61.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	42.4	479 of 839	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.5	428 of 870	50.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	26.3	509 of 649	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.5	441 of 673	34.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.8	397 of 681	41.7%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Female (2025)46th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)44th percentile~ school

Male (2025)43rd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile~ school

White (2025)22nd percentile-23 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts41%-7 vs state

Math28%-13 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate James Buchanan Middle School and help other families decide.

Rate James Buchanan Middle 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 James Buchanan Middle 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 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
James Buchanan Middle School	Public	6-8	5191 Fort Loudon Rd	Mercersburg	17236	Franklin County	Tuscarora School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 328-5221	535	42	12.8	103.6%	488 (91.2%)	6 (1.1%)	19 (3.6%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	17 (3.2%)	46	485^th of 873 public middle schools	44.4%		56.1	402^nd of 891 public middle schools	54.9%	83	26.4	26.5	31.6	28.3	36.1	39.1	48.4	41.4	$10,614	$542	$10,072
McConnellsburg Middle School	Public	6-8	151 East Cherry Street	Mc Connellsburg	17233	Fulton County	Central Fulton School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 485-3195	213	11	19.3	49.8%	194 (91.1%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (5.2%)	64.5	283^rd of 873 public middle schools	67.6%		69.2	259^th of 891 public middle schools	70.9%	24	42.9	34.9	40.3	39.6	52.0	42.9	56.4	50.5	$19,686	$1,426	$18,260
Greencastle-Antrim Middle School	Public	6-8	370 South Ridge Ave	Greencastle	17225	Franklin County	Greencastle-Antrim School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 597-3226	729	47	15.4	37.0%	624 (85.6%)	18 (2.5%)	36 (4.9%)	8 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (5.6%)	75.6	168^th of 873 public middle schools	80.8%		83.3	115^th of 891 public middle schools	87.1%	53	49.1	40.3	39.6	43.1	56.3	62.4	59.1	59.2	$14,801	$130	$14,670
Chambersburg Area Middle School - South	Public	6-8	1151 E McKinley St	Chambersburg	17201	Franklin County	Chambersburg Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 261-3385	1,025	65	15.7	74.2%	518 (50.5%)	103 (10.0%)	312 (30.4%)	22 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	67 (6.5%)	61.2	321^st of 873 public middle schools	63.2%		62	337^th of 891 public middle schools	62.2%	16	34.2	32.1	26.8	31.1	60.7	51.8	52.8	54.9	$14,800	$546	$14,254
Chambersburg Area Middle School - North	Public	6-8	1957 Scotland Ave	Chambersburg	17201	Franklin County	Chambersburg Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 261-3369	1,072	61	17.6	62.3%	633 (59.0%)	73 (6.8%)	251 (23.4%)	23 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	89 (8.3%)	68.7	237^th of 873 public middle schools	72.9%		67.8	270^th of 891 public middle schools	69.7%	33	38.8	30.4	32.2	33.8	61.3	55.3	66.6	61.1	$14,166	$520	$13,646
Waynesboro Area Middle School	Public	6-8	702 E 2nd St	Waynesboro	17268	Franklin County	Waynesboro Area School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 762-1191	887	62	14.4	58.7%	758 (85.5%)	27 (3.0%)	48 (5.4%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	43 (4.8%)	51.8	412^th of 873 public middle schools	52.8%		48.4	481^st of 891 public middle schools	46.0%	69	30.1	30.4	33.7	31.4	39.8	42.4	52.2	44.8	$13,828	$870	$12,958
Fannett-Metal Middle School	Public	6-8	14823 Path Valley Road	Willow Hill	17271	Franklin County	Fannett-Metal School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 349-2363	70	11	6.2	108.6%	64 (91.4%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.4%)	25.4	635^th of 873 public middle schools	27.3%		31.8	608^th of 891 public middle schools	31.8%	27	18.8	10.0	8.3	14.0	43.8	25.0	25.0	34.4	$19,050	$1,801	$17,249

Frequently Asked Questions about James Buchanan Middle School

What high school do graduates of James Buchanan Middle School attend?

Students who attend James Buchanan Middle School usually go on to attend James Buchanan High School

Is James Buchanan Middle School a good school?

James Buchanan Middle School ranks 485^th of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is James Buchanan Middle School in?

Tuscarora School District

What is the racial makeup of James Buchanan Middle School?

Students at James Buchanan Middle School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% African American.

How many students attend James Buchanan Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 535 students attended James Buchanan Middle School.

Rate James Buchanan Middle School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

PAPennsylvania Middle School Rankings

PAPennsylvania District Rankings

Schools in Mercersburg, PA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for James Buchanan Middle 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.