These 25 public middle schools were named Pennsylvania’s best. Check out their grades
Pennsylvania’s top 25 public middle schools are mostly located near Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, according to Niche, a site offering data on schools and colleges across the country.
Reviews and data from sources like the U.S. Department of Education, Common Core Data, Civil Rights Data Collection and more fuel Niche’s rankings. The Pittsburgh-headquartered school search platform ranks public middle schools through the following categories:
Academics grade, which is based on state assessment proficiency, district academics grade, student-to-teacher ratios and parent or student surveys on academics
Diversity grade, which is based on a student racial diversity index, parent or student surveys on culture and diversity, economically disadvantaged percentages and gender diversity
Teachers grade, which is based on the academics grade, parent or student surveys on educators, teacher absenteeism, salary index, the portion of teachers in their first or second year of teaching, average salary and student-to-teacher ratio
Niche breaks down its overall grades into the following segments:
Academics grade: 50%
Teachers grade: 20%
District overall Niche grade: 15%
Culture and diversity grade: 10%
Parent/student surveys on overall experience: 5%
Pennsylvania’s top 25 schools received overall grades of “A” or better, though their strengths and achievements vary. Here’s a brief look at how the institutions compared.
25. Peters Township Middle School
Location: McMurray, Pa.
Grades: A overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and C diversity
The top-rated public middle school in Washington County, Peters Township Middle School offers a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio spread across 613 students in seventh and eighth grade, Niche reports. Roughly 54% of students are proficient in math, while 84% are proficient or better in reading, state test scores concluded.
24. Wissahickon Middle School
Location: Ambler, Pa.
Grades: A overall, A academics, A teachers and A- diversity
Wissahickon Middle School teaches 1,111 students across sixth, seventh and eighth grade, Niche reports. The school employs a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio, and roughly 46% and 78% of its students are respectively proficient or better in math and reading, according to recent state testing scores.
23. Garnet Valley Middle School
Location: Glen Mills, Pa.
Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
Garnet Valley Middle School features a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio across a student body of 1,140 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. A recent batch of standardized tests found 43% of the school’s students are proficient or better in math, while 68% are proficient or better in reading.
22. Carson Middle School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
On the other side of the commonwealth, Carson Middle School boasts a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio with 668 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade, Niche reports. The latest standardized testing scores found 41% of the school’s students are proficient or better in math, while 77% are at least proficient in reading.
21. Sandy Run Middle School
Location: Dresher, Pa.
Grades: A overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
Sandy Run Middle School offers a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio and hosts a student body of 931 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. Roughly 54% of its students are at least proficient in math, while 79% are proficient or better in reading, according to recent state test scores.
20. South Fayette Middle School
Location: McDonald, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
This Pittsburgh-area middle school teaches 840 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade with a 16-1 student-to-teacher ratio. South Fayette Middle School’s most recent batch of standardized test scores found 57% of its students are proficient or better in math, while 85% are at least proficient in reading.
19. Charles F. Patton Middle School
Location: Kennett Square, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A teachers and B diversity
Ranked the third-best public middle school in Chester County, Charles F. Patton Middle School teaches 997 students spread across three grades and boasts a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio. State test scores indicate about 54% of the school’s students are at least proficient in math, while 83% are proficient or better in reading.
18. Hampton Middle School
Location: Allison Park, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and C diversity
Hampton Middle School employs a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio spread across 629 students in three grades. Following a recent batch of standardized tests, 53% of those students scored proficient or better in math, while 81% scored proficient or better in reading.
17. New Hope-Solebury Middle School
Location: New Hope, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity
Ranked by Niche as the top public middle school in Bucks County, New Hope-Solebury Middle School teaches just 331 students across sixth, seventh and eighth grade and offers an 11-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Those students are respectively 51% and 77% proficient in math and reading, according to recent test scores.
16. Fort Couch Middle School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity
Another Pittsburgh institution, Fort Couch Middle School instructs 628 students in seventh and eighth grade with a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Approximately 65% and 90% of the school’s students respectively scored proficiently or better on math and reading tests.
15. Strath Haven Middle School
Location: Wallingford, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Strath Haven Middle School maintains a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio for its 868 students, Niche reports. The school’s most recent batch of state test scores indicated proficiency levels of 47% and 71% in math and reading, respectively.
14. Dorseyville Middle School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
This Pittsburgh-area middle school teaches 942 spread across the grades, offering a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Recent state test scores produced proficiency rates of 59% and 82% for math and reading, respectively, among Dorseyville Middle School’s students.
13. Infinity Charter School
Location: Harrisburg, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A academics, A+ teachers and A diversity
Infinity Charter School, the lone central Pennsylvania representative among Niche’s rankings, instructs 258 students ranging from kindergartners to eighth-graders and offers a 16-1 student-to-teacher ratio. At least 67% of the school’s students are proficient in math, while at least 87% are proficient or better in reading.
12. Boyce Middle School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity
Nearly 600 students attend Boyce Middle School, which offers a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio and teaches fifth and sixth grade. State test scores indicated proficiency levels of 70% and 87%, respectively, in math and reading.
11. Mellon Middle School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B- diversity
Another top-rated Pittsburgh institution, Mellon Middle School instructs 642 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade while offering a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Students produced a 52% proficiency rate in math compared to an 85% rate in reading.
10. Welsh Valley Middle School
Location: Narberth, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Welsh Valley Middle School teaches fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade, offering an impressive 8-1 student-to-teacher ratio for its 815 students. Roughly 63% of those students are proficient or better in math, while 80% can say the same for reading, according to recent standardized test scores.
9. Valley Forge Middle School
Location: Wayne, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity
Back in the Philadelphia suburbs, Valley Forge Middle School instructs a whopping 1,156 students across the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades, resulting in a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Recent test scores indicated respective proficiency rates of 69% and 87% in math and reading, Niche reports.
8. Jefferson Middle School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and C diversity
Jefferson Middle School offers a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio for its 637 students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Recent test scores showed a large gap between proficiency rates — 55% for math and 89% for reading.
7. Bala Cynwyd Middle School
Location: Bala Cynwyd, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A teachers and B+ diversity
Bala Cynwyd Middle School instructs 811 students in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades and employs an 8-1 student-to-teacher ratio, Niche reports. A recent batch of standardized test scores indicated proficiency levels of 66% and 84%, respectively, in math and reading.
6. Ingomar Middle School
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B diversity
Five hundred and thirty-nine students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades attend Ingomar Middle School, which offers a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Roughly 48% of the school’s students are proficient or better in math, while 80% can say the same for reading.
5. Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School
Location: Berwyn, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Back near the Philadelphia suburbs, Tredyffrin-Easttown Middle School teaches 1,098 students in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades while offering a 14-1 student-to-teacher ratio. Following the latest round of state standardized tests, roughly 66% of the school’s students are proficient or better in math, while 86% are proficient or better in reading.
4. Marshall Middle School
Location: Wexford, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
Ranked one of the best public middle schools near Pittsburgh, Marshall Middle School boasts a 13-1 student-to-teacher ratio throughout its sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Roughly 55% of the school’s 764 students are proficient or better in math, while about 81% can say the same for reading.
3. Radnor Middle School
Location: Wayne, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and B+ diversity
This Philadelphia-area middle school offers a 12-1 student-to-teacher ratio while instructing 827 students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades, Niche reports. Approximately 63% of the school’s student body is proficient in math, while 87% is proficient or better in reading.
2. The Souderton Charter School Collaborative
Location: Souderton, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A- diversity
The Souderton Charter School Collaborative instructs just 235 students spread between kindergarten and the eighth grade to the tune of a 10-1 student-to-teacher ratio. According to a recent batch of state test scores, 67% of the school’s students are proficient or better in math, while about 92% are proficient or better in reading.
1. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Grades: A+ overall, A+ academics, A+ teachers and A diversity
The Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, a magnet school with a specialized curriculum, teaches 1,204 students between the fifth and 12th grades. The school offers a 23-1 student-to-teacher ratio. A recent batch of test scores found that roughly 95% of the school’s students are proficient in math and reading.
