Best Middle Schools in Pennsylvania
The top 50 middle schools (grades 6-8) in Pennsylvania, ranked by enrollment from NCES data with EDFacts proficiency rates where available. Average proficiency across this list is 63%.
| # | School | City | Enrollment | Proficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chester Community CS | Chester, PA | 4,276 | 57% |
| 2 | Abington MS | Abington, PA | 2,048 | 64% |
| 3 | Easton Area MS | Easton, PA | 1,874 | 28% |
| 4 | Central MS | Reading, PA | 1,865 | 35% |
| 5 | Northeast Community Propel Academy | Philadelphia, PA | 1,731 | 24% |
| 6 | Altoona Area Jr HS | Altoona, PA | 1,727 | 46% |
| 7 | Mayfair Sch | Philadelphia, PA | 1,682 | 34% |
| 8 | Haverford MS | Havertown, PA | 1,626 | 65% |
| 9 | Spring-Ford Intrmd Sch 5th/6th | Royersford, PA | 1,278 | 65% |
| 10 | Colonial MS | Plymouth Meeting, PA | 1,210 | 64% |
| 11 | Ryan Gloyer MS | Harmony, PA | 1,123 | 64% |
| 12 | Valley Forge MS | Wayne, PA | 1,110 | 64% |
| 13 | Abington Heights MS | Clarks Summit, PA | 1,097 | 69% |
| 14 | Tredyffrin-Easttown MS | Berwyn, PA | 1,081 | 64% |
| 15 | Great Valley MS | Malvern, PA | 1,066 | 69% |
| 16 | Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center | Downingtown, PA | 1,046 | 70% |
| 17 | Lionville MS | Exton, PA | 1,041 | 72% |
| 18 | Eden Hall Upper El Sch | Gibsonia, PA | 1,035 | 67% |
| 19 | Black Rock MS | Villanova, PA | 1,032 | 68% |
| 20 | Eagle View MS | Mechanicsburg, PA | 1,021 | 65% |
| 21 | E N Peirce MS | West Chester, PA | 1,018 | 67% |
| 22 | Dorseyville MS | Pittsburgh, PA | 967 | 64% |
| 23 | Manheim Twp MS | Lancaster, PA | 955 | 66% |
| 24 | Sandy Run MS | Dresher, PA | 939 | 72% |
| 25 | Orefield MS | Orefield, PA | 917 | 65% |
| 26 | Strath Haven MS | Wallingford, PA | 909 | 71% |
| 27 | J R Fugett MS | West Chester, PA | 908 | 63% |
| 28 | Lower Dauphin MS | Hummelstown, PA | 883 | 65% |
| 29 | Boyertown Area MS-East | Gilbertsville, PA | 871 | 66% |
| 30 | Newtown MS | Newtown, PA | 851 | 68% |
| 31 | Central Dauphin MS | Harrisburg, PA | 848 | 63% |
| 32 | Butler El Sch | Chalfont, PA | 827 | 62% |
| 33 | Fred S Engle MS | West Grove, PA | 819 | 62% |
| 34 | Park Forest MS | State College, PA | 815 | 70% |
| 35 | Welsh Valley MS | Narberth, PA | 814 | 73% |
| 36 | Bala-Cynwyd MS | Bala Cynwyd, PA | 809 | 71% |
| 37 | South Fayette MS | McDonald, PA | 802 | 74% |
| 38 | Pleasant Hills MS | Pittsburgh, PA | 798 | 63% |
| 39 | Marshall MS | Wexford, PA | 793 | 75% |
| 40 | Waynesburg Central El School | Waynesburg, PA | 765 | 65% |
| 41 | Indian Valley MS | Harleysville, PA | 763 | 72% |
| 42 | Northley MS | Aston, PA | 758 | 62% |
| 43 | Wilson West MS | Sinking Spring, PA | 739 | 65% |
| 44 | Pennwood MS | Yardley, PA | 736 | 64% |
| 45 | Hershey MS | Hershey, PA | 731 | 62% |
| 46 | Pine-Richland MS | Gibsonia, PA | 724 | 62% |
| 47 | Mill Creek El Sch | Warrington, PA | 715 | 73% |
| 48 | Bridge Valley El Sch | Furlong, PA | 695 | 68% |
| 49 | Mount Nittany MS | State College, PA | 695 | 69% |
| 50 | Goodnoe El Sch | Newtown, PA | 694 | 73% |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best middle school in Pennsylvania?
The largest middle school in Pennsylvania is Chester Community CS in Chester with 4,276 students and a 57% proficiency rate. Rankings are based on NCES Common Core of Data enrollment and EDFacts proficiency results.
How many middle schools are in Pennsylvania?
This page shows the top 50 middle schools (grades 6-8) in Pennsylvania by enrollment. Browse the full state directory to see all schools.
What does the proficiency rate measure?
Proficiency rate is the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards on combined math and reading assessments, as reported by EDFacts. Data is district-level and applied to each school in the district.
Where does this data come from?
Enrollment and school characteristics come from the NCES Common Core of Data. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results. Both are official federal datasets published by the U.S. Department of Education.
The this entity category groups every U.S. K-12 school outcomes and enrollment entity sharing this attribute. The list above is the data; the paragraphs below explain what the grouping means against the broader NCES Common Core of Data and EDFacts distribution and how to read the relative rankings within the category.
For readers using this category as a starting point, the per-entity detail pages linked from the table above carry the underlying NCES Common Core of Data and EDFacts data in full. The category-level view is the filter; the per-entity pages are the actual answer.
Schools are ranked by enrollment within the state. Proficiency rates come from EDFacts assessment results, district-level figures applied to each school in the district.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, 2026.