Each level is scored on its own scale — elementary, middle, and high are never ranked against each other.
The elementary years
The elementary schools average 20.4/100 — 18.4 points below the state average. Here is what that number does and doesn't say.
16 elementary schools span 24 points around an average of 20.4.
Lancaster Alternative and Virtual Academies is the strongest option at 35/100 — 13.3% of its students exceed the state standard.
29.8% of students are chronically absent (state: 17.9%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
The middle years
33 points separate Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering (42) from New Vista Middle (9) — at this level, which school matters more than which district.
33 points separate the strongest and weakest of these 5 middle schools — the average hides more than it tells.
Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering is the strongest option at 42/100 — 19.6% of its students exceed the state standard.
31.0% of students are chronically absent (state: 18.1%) — chronic means missing 10% or more of the school year. Whatever the scores say, ask each school what it is doing about attendance.
What it means for your family
Compare schools at your child’s level before deciding on an address. The strongest attendance-zone candidate is Lancaster Alternative and Virtual Academies at 35/100 — confirm the exact boundary with the district before the house.
1 of the 21 ranked schools is a charter — enrollment paths that don't depend on your address. If your zoned school sits low in the appendix below, those lotteries and applications are the levers worth the paperwork.
A band is a position, not a prophecy — 2 campuses here rank as On the Rise, their returning cohorts gaining more than most schools statewide. Ask your school two questions: what happens for a kid who arrives behind, and what the classroom looks like for one who arrives ahead.
The strongest-scoring run through the district:
Lancaster Alternative and Virtual Academies 49th percentile · DevelopingScope Score 35/100Fulton and Alsbury Academy of Arts and Engineering 64th percentile · SolidScope Score 42/100
Top scorers at each level — not necessarily one zoned sequence. Confirm feeder patterns and enrollment zones with the district, and visit before you decide.
What this page can't see: whether a campus feels safe and glad at 8 a.m. If a path above looks workable, the next step is a visit.