Editor’s note: The following, focused on the Hollidaysburg Area School District, is the fourth installment of the series looking into how Blair County schools fared on the state assessment tests. The data for all Pennsylvania schools can be found at futurereadypa.org.

Hollidaysburg Area School District leaders are confident that targeted investments in junior high curriculum and student-support measures will help correct a slight downturn in standardized test scores at the senior high level.

The central Blair County district enrolls more than 3,000 students across five schools, representing the second largest public school system in the region after Altoona Area.

Senior High testing

As the leading standardized test administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, annual results from Keystone Exams are one of the main ways to track a districts’ academic progress.

All high school juniors across the state take Keystone Exams in algebra, biology and literature in order to assess their knowledge across several subject areas.

In 2024-25, 46.6% of Hollidaysburg Area 11th graders scored either proficient or advanced in the algebra subsection — the two passing designations above failing basic and below basic scores.

That represents a 1.5% decrease from 2023-24.

In the biology subsection, Hollidaysburg students’ scores declined 7.5% from last year, which Assistant Superintendent Tracy Boone describes as “not that large of a drop.”

According to Boone, fluctuations like this year to year are not uncommon among public school districts, but further results from subsequent years will reveal whether this is an aberration or a new trend.

Hollidaysburg students’ literature scores fell 8% to 63.6% over that same period, according to publicly available test results.

From 2022-23, biology and literature test scores remained relatively stable, while algebra section results increased from 30.1% to 48.1%, which Boone credits to a recent focus on expanding and modernizing math curriculum across the district’s three elementary schools.

Building a solid “foundation” at the elementary and early middle school level is critical to future academic success, Boone said, which has been a priority for Hollidaysburg Area administrators.

Improving the English language arts curriculum has been a “work in progress,” Boone said, as district teachers adopt updated lesson plans and other educational materials focused on developing literacy skills.

A portion of this decline may be attributed to the lasting fallout from the temporary switch to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Boone, Hollidayburg students who were in elementary and middle school during that period missed out on some degree of critical instruction in literacy, leading to worse Keystone scores when they reached 11th grade years later.

“They never had to adapt to so much in such a short time,” she said.

While the individual scores year to year are down, Hollidaysburg student scores in English language arts are still about 14% above the statewide average, according to the Future Ready PA Index, an academic comparison metric run by PDE.

In math, Hollidaysburg students are 5% above average, yet about 35% below PDE’s target for test scores to reach by 2032-33.

Boone says the district is doing a “decent job” overall, and is making intentional investments in improving curriculum to address areas of concern.

“We’re constantly looking at our curriculum at the junior high level, and working to ensure it’s aligned with our senior high curriculum,” she said.

This process involves an ongoing series of meetings between junior high teachers and their senior high counterparts to make sure their respective curriculums build on each other while avoiding redundant or outdated materials.

“We need to start small in order to see big (improvements),” Boone said, noting that Hollidaysburg Area still has a ways to go before it can hit state targets for test results.

Junior High testing

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, commonly known as PSSAs, are exams taken annually by third through eighth graders, assessing their knowledge of core English language arts and math concepts.

Students were assessed in science until 2024-25, but “due to the adoption of updated Science standards adopted in Pennsylvania, assessment scores in Science were waived, and only participation rates were reported,” according to PDE.

Overall district passing scores in English language arts declined about 5% from 2023-24 to 2024-25, while math results increased 9% over that time period, according to PDE data.

According to the Future Ready PA Index, junior high and elementary students exceed statewide growth rate in test scores in both English language arts and math, with overall rates of student passing in math on par with state averages.

In English language arts, enough junior high students did not pass to hit the overall target set by PDE, according to the Future Ready PA Index.

Junior high students also met state targets for attendance and career preparedness standards.

Hollidaysburg Area Senior High

About 63.5% of senior high students received proficient or advanced marks in English language arts standardized testing in 2024-25, according to the Future Ready PA Index, which is approximately 14% higher than the statewide average.

In math, about 46.7% of students earned passing grades, representing scores 5% above the statewide average, according to the Future Ready PA Index.

Student progress in both disciplines fell slightly below state averages.

Student scores on Keystone Exams, which assess 11th graders’ ability in three academic domains, declined in 2024-25 in biology and literature after remaining relatively level for the past two years. Student scores in math have rebounded and remained level about 48% after about 30% of students earned passing grades in 2022-23.

Hollidaysburg Area Junior High

About 66.1% of junior high students received proficient or advanced marks in English language arts standardized testing in 2024-25, according to the Future Ready PA Index, which is approximately 16% higher than the statewide average.

In math, about 60.3% of students earned passing grades, representing scores 18% above the statewide average, according to the Future Ready PA Index.

Student academic progress in both subjects outpaced state average ratings by about 25 points each, with progress in math earning a perfect 100 out of 100 score.

District results from PSSA tests, which are taken annually by students in grades three through eight, dropped slightly in English language arts from 2023-24 to 2024-25, while math results grew incrementally in that same time frame.

Charles W. Longer Elementary School

About 57.4% of Longer Elementary students received proficient or advanced marks in English language arts standardized testing in 2024-25, according to the Future Ready PA Index, which is approximately 17% higher than the statewide average.

In math, about 55.3% of students earned passing grades, representing scores 13% above the statewide average, according to the Future Ready PA Index.

Student progress in English language arts and math both received nearly perfect ratings in annual academic progress, well above the state average.

Foot of Ten Elementary School

About 58.9% of Foot of Ten Elementary students received proficient or advanced marks in English language arts standardized testing in 2024-25, according to the Future Ready PA Index, which is approximately 9% higher than the statewide average.

In math, about 65% of students earned passing grades, representing scores 23% above the statewide average, according to the Future Ready PA Index.

Student progress in English language arts and math both received nearly perfect ratings in annual academic progress, well above the state average.

Frankstown Elementary School

About 54.6% of Frankstown Elementary students received proficient or advanced marks in English language arts standardized testing in 2024-25, according to the Future Ready PA Index, which is approximately 15% higher than the statewide average.

In math, about 67.8% of students earned passing grades, representing scores 26% above the statewide average, according to the Future Ready PA Index.

Student progress in math received a perfect 100 out of 100 rating, while English progress was in line with state average ratings in that same time period.

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.