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Dodson Elementary School

Public Grades K-5

1246^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 18% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

Dodson Elementary School is a public elementary school in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, serving 483 students in grades K-5. The school is part of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, which is ranked 434 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dodson Elementary consistently performs below the state and district averages in PSSA test scores for Math and English Language Arts (ELA). For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates were 21.4% in Math and 27.4% in ELA, compared to the state averages of 41.7% and 48.5%, respectively. However, the school ranks highly (4 out of 5 stars) for its African American students, indicating this subgroup is performing better at Dodson compared to other schools in the state. Conversely, the school's performance for Hispanic students and English Language Learners is relatively lower, with 2 and 3 out of 5 stars, respectively.

Dodson Elementary has a very high percentage of students (100%) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, suggesting a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. This is significantly higher than the state average and likely contributes to the school's overall academic challenges. When compared to other nearby schools within the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, such as Solomon/Plains Elementary School and Dr. David W. Kistler Elementary School, Dodson Elementary consistently underperforms in both Math and ELA proficiency rates.

522

Students ?

20.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,125

Per pupil spending ?

92.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

13 Hillard St
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702

(570) 235-6894

District: Wilkes-Barre Area School District

Students who attend Dodson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:

G A R Middle School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

68.2%

African American:

14.9%

White:

8.4%

See top rated Pennsylvania elementary schools

Compare Dodson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 13th percentile in 2015 → 18th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 5 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (24% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (18th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 21 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school24%

District avg28%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,246^th of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 18%▲ up 5 pts since 2015

From bottom 13% (2015) to bottom 18% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 5Elementary Schools in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District

434^th of 606Wilkes-Barre 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	17.1	1246 of 1511	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.3	1240 of 1526	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	19.4	1235 of 1534	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	5.6	1451 of 1534	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	7.7	1292 of 1433	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	12.6	1329 of 1544	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	9.0	1371 of 1530	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	7.7	1395 of 1547	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.1	1420 of 1554	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	11.3	1289 of 1474	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	9.5	1315 of 1467	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	12.2	1335 of 1519	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	15.2	1403 of 1599	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	14.0	1445 of 1597	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	10.7	1465 of 1579	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	36.7	1196 of 1549	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	32.7	1239 of 1551	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	32.7	1226 of 1555	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	47.3	1023 of 1545	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	85.8	67 of 1299	94.8%	★★★★★
2004	82.7	195 of 1308	85.1%	★★★★☆
2003	81.0	235 of 1302	82.0%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	60.0	119 of 413	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	71.7	75 of 437	82.8%	★★★★☆
2023	78.3	60 of 437	86.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	27.9	746 of 1030	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	49.5	84 of 207	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	63.5	54 of 200	73.0%	★★★★☆
2023	27.5	153 of 196	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	20.2	1170 of 1466	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.4	1241 of 1488	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	37.2	259 of 429	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.4	281 of 454	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.5	281 of 432	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	29.8	1012 of 1369	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.9	1102 of 1432	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	32.4	1035 of 1414	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.2	1252 of 1475	15.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	1180 of 1495	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)71st percentile+54 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)59th percentile+42 vs school

Hispanic (2025)40th percentile+22 vs school

Disabled (2025)28th percentile+10 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)26th percentile+9 vs school

Female (2025)20th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)15th percentile~ school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts27%-21 vs state

Math21%-20 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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1★1

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What people are saying

by a parent
Thursday, February 10, 2011

I was in this school as a member of the public, and found the school to be extremely unsafe. There were boxes full of papers stacked up in front of heaters, no fire extinguishers were visible, and no AEDs were anywhere in site. There was no sprinkler system to activate if there were to be a fire. This school needs to be brought up to code so we do not have a disaster occur, and risk the children being in danger. Close Quote

Schools Near Dodson 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 All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dodson Elementary School	Public	K-5	13 Hillard St	Wilkes Barre	18702	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 235-6894	522	26	20.1	92.5%	44 (8.4%)	78 (14.9%)	356 (68.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (7.7%)	17.1	1246^th of 1511 public elementary schools	17.5%		18.3	1240^th of 1526 public elementary schools	18.7%	6	26.5	19.3	17.1	21.4	42.2	19.3	17.1	27.4	$14,125	$1,425	$12,700
Daniel J Flood Elementary School	Public	K-5	565 N Washington St	Wilkes Barre	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7245	616	37	16.7	100.6%	104 (16.9%)	95 (15.4%)	367 (59.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.6%)	38.8	980^th of 1511 public elementary schools	35.1%		26.1	1143^rd of 1526 public elementary schools	25.1%	163	40.7	49.2	33.3	40.3	31.9	51.5	40.0	40.0	$13,624	$1,234	$12,390
Heights/Murray Elementary School	Public	K-5	1 S Sherman St	Wilkes Barre	18702	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7256	838	50	16.8	100.6%	95 (11.3%)	151 (18.0%)	506 (60.4%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (9.3%)	22.1	1171^st of 1511 public elementary schools	22.5%		17.8	1247^th of 1526 public elementary schools	18.3%	76	42.7	20.7	26.1	30.3	37.2	17.4	25.0	27.1	$13,832	$1,477	$12,355
Third Avenue Elementary School	Public	K	131 Rear Third Ave & Davis St	Kingston	18704	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 288-2282	97	10	10.0	102.1%	26 (26.8%)	20 (20.6%)	42 (43.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.2%)								(n/a)									$17,729	$2,958	$14,771
Chester Street Elementary School	Public	1-5	110 East Chester Street	Kingston	18704	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 287-2438	294	21	13.8	97.6%	130 (44.2%)	44 (15.0%)	72 (24.5%)	9 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (12.9%)	31.3	1070^th of 1511 public elementary schools	29.2%		20.8	1207^th of 1526 public elementary schools	20.9%	137	29.2	34.0	26.0	29.6	48.0	41.3	32.7	40.4	$17,246	$2,877	$14,369
Solomon/Plains Elementary School	Public	K-5	41 Abbott St	Plains	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7222	718	47	15.2	98.6%	346 (48.2%)	59 (8.2%)	236 (32.9%)	10 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	66 (9.2%)	42.2	936^th of 1511 public elementary schools	38.1%		40.4	1004^th of 1526 public elementary schools	34.2%	68	54.6	38.4	38.0	43.4	53.4	34.9	34.0	40.5	$14,063	$1,230	$12,833
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School	Public	K-5	301 Old River Rd	Wilkes Barre	18702	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7230	961	55	17.3	100.9%	126 (13.1%)	153 (15.9%)	589 (61.3%)	8 (0.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (8.6%)	32.1	1062^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	29.7%		27.9	1127^th of 1526 public elementary schools	26.1%	65	40.4	28.4	38.2	36.1	34.5	33.3	43.1	36.8	$13,405	$1,302	$12,102
Dana Elementary Center	Public	K-5	50 Dana Street	Forty Fort	18704	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 283-0591	626	36	17.2	95.8%	385 (61.5%)	37 (5.9%)	139 (22.2%)	14 (2.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (8.0%)	35.4	1022^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	32.4%		31.4	1095^th of 1526 public elementary schools	28.2%	73	44.4	25.7	20.8	29.8	57.8	33.0	43.1	44.2	$17,265	$2,880	$14,385
Lee Park Elementary School	Public	3-4	99 Lee Park Ave	Hanover Township	18706	Luzerne County	Hanover Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 824-4741	322	23	14.0	71.4%	152 (47.2%)	52 (16.1%)	101 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)	21.3	1179^th of 1511 public elementary schools	22.0%		31.6	1093^rd of 1526 public elementary schools	28.4%	86	31.7	22.4		27.1	34.2	35.9		35.1	$16,231	$2,333	$13,897
State Elementary Center	Public	K-5	355 State Street	Larksville	18704	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 779-5381	1,376	88	15.6	95.4%	565 (41.1%)	246 (17.9%)	394 (28.6%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	162 (11.8%)	12	1318^th of 1511 public elementary schools	12.8%		15.4	1282^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	16.0%	36	21.8	20.1	15.6	19.1	22.5	25.6	18.2	21.8	$17,523	$2,923	$14,600

Frequently Asked Questions about Dodson Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Dodson Elementary School?

Students at Dodson Elementary School are 68% Hispanic, 15% African American, 8% White, 8% Two or more races.

What schools do graduates of Dodson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Dodson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : G A R Middle School

How many students attend Dodson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 522 students attended Dodson Elementary School.

Is Dodson Elementary School a good school?

Dodson Elementary School ranks in the bottom 17.5% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

What district is Dodson Elementary School in?

Wilkes-Barre Area School District

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Schools in Wilkes Barre, PA

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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.