Best Public Schools in Zip Code 17820

Summary:

The 17820 zip code area is home to 3 schools that are part of the Southern Columbia Area School District: 1 elementary school, 1 middle school, and 1 high school. These schools have demonstrated strong academic performance, with Hartman Elementary Center and Southern Columbia Middle School consistently outperforming district and state averages on standardized tests.

Hartman Elementary Center stands out as a high-performing school, with 64.2% of students proficient or better in Math and 53.9% in English Language Arts on the 2024-2025 PSSA tests. The school has consistently ranked in the top 35% of Pennsylvania elementary schools, demonstrating its commitment to academic excellence. Southern Columbia Middle School is also a standout performer, ranking in the top 12% of Pennsylvania middle schools in 2023-2024 and earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While Southern Columbia High School has mixed performance on Keystone Exams, with strong results in Algebra I but lower performance in Biology, the overall academic performance of the schools in the 17820 zip code area is impressive. The schools also have relatively low percentages of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, suggesting a relatively affluent student population, and consistent per-student spending and student-teacher ratios across the district.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	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	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	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
Southern Columbia Middle School	Public	5-8	810 Southern Drive	Catawissa	17820	Columbia County	Southern Columbia Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 356-3400	367	27	13.5	38.1%	348 (94.8%)	2 (0.5%)	9 (2.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.9%)	85.2	102^nd of 873 public middle schools	88.3%		86.9	85^th of 891 public middle schools	90.5%	17						44.0	50.0	60.8	53.5	52.3			43.4	71.4	66.7	55.6	59.9	$18,571	$1,228	$17,343
Southern Columbia High School	Public	9-12	812 Southern Drive	Catawissa	17820	Columbia County	Southern Columbia Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 356-3450	348	28	12.3	27.6%	324 (93.1%)	1 (0.3%)	11 (3.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.6%)	59.9	294^th of 681 public high schools	56.8%		50.9	382^nd of 686 public high schools	44.3%	88	76.1	42.0	56.2															$18,512	$1,224	$17,288
Hartman Elementary Center	Public	K-4	802 Southern Drive	Catawissa	17820	Columbia County	Southern Columbia Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 356-3250	480	37	12.9	36.0%	457 (95.2%)	5 (1.0%)	6 (1.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.3%)	66.8	538^th of 1511 public elementary schools	64.4%		73.6	425^th of 1526 public elementary schools	72.1%	113				69.7	59.0					64.2	58.6	49.5					53.9	$14,999	$992	$14,007

Cities Near Zip Code 17820

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Bloomsburg	3.16 mi	9	263^rd
Catawissa	3.72 mi	3	233^rd
Danville	7.85 mi	6	100^th
Mount Carmel	10.69 mi	3	638^th
Berwick	12.8 mi	4	418^th

See the top PA Pennsylvania cities

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.