Is James Buchanan Middle School a good school?

James Buchanan Middle School ranks 402 nd of 891 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend James Buchanan Middle School?

In the 2023-24 school year, 554 students attended James Buchanan Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of James Buchanan Middle School?

Students at James Buchanan Middle School are 92% White, 4% Two or more races, 3% Hispanic.

What high school do graduates of James Buchanan Middle School attend?

Students who attend James Buchanan Middle School usually go on to attend James Buchanan High School

James Buchanan Middle School

Summary:

James Buchanan Middle School is a public middle school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, serving around 550 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Tuscarora School District. While the school's academic performance is generally in the middle range for Pennsylvania, it faces some notable challenges, including below-average proficiency rates on state assessments and a concerning trend of increasing dropout rates.

One of the key areas of concern at James Buchanan Middle School is the significant disparity in performance between different student subgroups. While the school excels in supporting students with disabilities, it struggles to provide equitable outcomes for White students and students from low-income backgrounds, who perform in the bottom half of the state. Additionally, the school's per-student funding has fluctuated over the years, which may be a contributing factor to its academic performance.

When compared to nearby middle schools, such as Greencastle-Antrim Middle School, James Buchanan Middle School generally performs in the middle to lower range. Addressing the challenges faced by the school, including improving academic performance, addressing equity issues, and ensuring stable and adequate funding, could be crucial for the school to better serve its diverse student population.

Detail:

Public 6-8

5191 Fort Loudon Rd
Mercersburg, PA 17236-9692

(717) 328-5221

District: Tuscarora School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
402^nd of 891 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $6,060

Students who attend James Buchanan Middle School usually attend:

High:

James Buchanan High School

Feeder schools for James Buchanan Middle School:

Elementary:	Mercersburg Elementary School
	Montgomery Elementary School
	Mountain View Elementary School
	St Thomas Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio: 13.3

Number of students: 554

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.7%

Two or more races:

3.6%

Hispanic:

3.2%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare James Buchanan Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details James Buchanan Middle School ranks better than 54.9% of middle schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 56.1. (See more...)

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (91.7%), two or more races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.2%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at James Buchanan Middle School is 13.3. (See more...)

Compare James Buchanan Middle School employs 41.5 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at James Buchanan Middle School is $6,060.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

James Buchanan Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks James Buchanan Middle School 402^nd of 891 Pennsylvania public middle schools. (See James Buchanan Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

White students:

Tuscarora School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Tuscarora School District 334^th of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for James Buchanan Middle School

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Rank History for all students at James Buchanan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile
2003	73.37	180^th	643	72.0%
2004	72.36	196^th	663	70.4%
2005	58.72	331^st	687	51.8%
2006	54.73	404^th	736	45.1%
2007	59.47	359^th	749	52.1%
2008	55.74	394^th	753	47.7%
2009	50.08	479^th	770	37.8%
2010	53.72	464^th	805	42.4%
2011	56.51	442^nd	825	46.4%
2012	56.70	451^st	834	45.9%
2013	52.78	443^rd	758	41.6%
2014	51.75	424^th	728	41.8%
2015	62.32	318^th	835	61.9%
2016	68.05	281^st	870	67.7%
2017	64.84	308^th	877	64.9%
2018	65.63	307^th	861	64.3%
2019	59.83	393^rd	891	55.9%
2021	50.92	403^rd	797	49.4%
2022	60.14	350^th	883	60.4%
2023	58.76	368^th	893	58.8%
2024	56.10	402^nd	891	54.9%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at James Buchanan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	58.06	333^rd	874	61.9%
2024	55.28	375^th	877	57.2%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at James Buchanan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	59.50	346^th	860	59.8%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at James Buchanan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	43.96	321^st	660	51.4%
2024	58.62	192^nd	672	71.4%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at James Buchanan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	50.49	428^th	870	50.8%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for White students at James Buchanan Middle School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	40.76	397^th	681	41.7%
2024	36.50	441^st	673	34.5%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Dept of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

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Enrollment information for James Buchanan Middle School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	653	7	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	663
1989	649	13	0	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	668
1990	617	9	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	629
1991	617	10	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	627
1992	606	4	0	0	0	n/a	n/a	0	610
1993	602	7	1	2	0	n/a	n/a	0	612
1994	608	9	4	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	626
1995	600	8	4	3	3	n/a	n/a	0	618
1996	600	8	4	3	3	n/a	n/a	0	618
1997	604	6	2	7	3	n/a	n/a	0	622
1998	590	5	2	1	1	n/a	n/a	0	599
1999	603	8	2	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	617
2000	670	11	0	2	1	n/a	n/a	0	684
2001	661	15	0	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	685
2002	627	17	1	5	2	n/a	n/a	0	652
2003	627	17	1	5	2	n/a	n/a	0	652
2004	599	21	2	6	1	n/a	n/a	0	629
2005	583	21	2	9	0	n/a	n/a	0	615
2006	591	28	2	13	1	n/a	n/a	0	635
2007	565	21	1	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	599
2008	611	15	1	9	1	n/a	n/a	0	637
2009	632	10	1	11	2	n/a	n/a	0	656
2010	611	13	5	12	4	n/a	n/a	2	647
2011	615	15	5	14	5	1	2	0	657
2012	606	14	5	14	4	1	2	0	646
2013	631	13	2	12	2	1	1	0	662
2014	547	12	4	12	2	0	3	0	580
2015	528	9	5	14	2	1	6	0	565
2016	487	8	4	19	2	1	10	0	531
2017	522	8	4	20	3	1	15	0	573
2018	517	5	6	20	2	0	18	0	568
2019	541	9	3	19	1	0	28	0	601
2020	541	6	4	14	0	0	18	0	583
2021	515	5	1	13	0	0	22	0	556
2022	508	3	2	17	2	0	17	0	549
2023	502	1	3	17	1	4	22	0	550
2024	508	4	2	18	1	1	20	0	554

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at James Buchanan Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	663	49.0	13.5	n/a
1989	668	44.5	15.0	n/a
1990	629	49.0	12.8	0
1991	627	47.5	13.2	n/a
1992	610	49.0	12.4	n/a
1993	612	42.0	14.6	n/a
1994	626	42.0	14.9	n/a
1995	618	42.0	14.7	n/a
1996	618	42.0	14.7	n/a
1997	622	41.0	15.2	n/a
1998	599	41.0	14.6	n/a
1999	617	42.0	14.7	n/a
2000	684	43.0	15.9	26.2
2001	685	44.0	15.6	25.3
2002	652	43.4	15.0	27
2003	652	43.4	15.0	27
2004	629	42.4	14.8	29.7
2005	615	44.4	13.9	28.6
2006	635	42.2	15.0	28
2007	599	42.2	14.2	29.4
2008	637	41.9	15.2	27.3
2009	656	42.8	15.3	27.3
2010	647	42.5	15.2	33.5
2011	657	43.5	15.0	31.7
2012	646	37.3	17.2	34.5
2013	662	37.5	17.6	32.2
2014	580	37.4	15.5	31.7
2015	565	38.0	14.8	36.3
2016	531	37.0	14.3	41.1
2017	573	37.3	15.3	37.7
2018	568	37.3	15.2	39.3
2019	601	37.2	16.1	41.9
2020	583	37.2	15.6	40.7
2021	556	36.1	15.4	48.6
2022	549	40.0	13.7	45
2023	550	40.1	13.7	100
2024	554	41.5	13.3	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio James Buchanan Middle School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	663	49.0	13.5	n/a
1989	668	44.5	15.0	n/a
1990	629	49.0	12.8	0
1991	627	47.5	13.2	n/a
1992	610	49.0	12.4	n/a
1993	612	42.0	14.6	n/a
1994	626	42.0	14.9	n/a
1995	618	42.0	14.7	n/a
1996	618	42.0	14.7	n/a
1997	622	41.0	15.2	n/a
1998	599	41.0	14.6	n/a
1999	617	42.0	14.7	n/a
2000	684	43.0	15.9	26.2
2001	685	44.0	15.6	25.3
2002	652	43.4	15.0	27
2003	652	43.4	15.0	27
2004	629	42.4	14.8	29.7
2005	615	44.4	13.9	28.6
2006	635	42.2	15.0	28
2007	599	42.2	14.2	29.4
2008	637	41.9	15.2	27.3
2009	656	42.8	15.3	27.3
2010	647	42.5	15.2	33.5
2011	657	43.5	15.0	31.7
2012	646	37.3	17.2	34.5
2013	662	37.5	17.6	32.2
2014	580	37.4	15.5	31.7
2015	565	38.0	14.8	36.3
2016	531	37.0	14.3	41.1
2017	573	37.3	15.3	37.7
2018	568	37.3	15.2	39.3
2019	601	37.2	16.1	41.9
2020	583	37.2	15.6	40.7
2021	556	36.1	15.4	48.6
2022	549	40.0	13.7	45
2023	550	40.1	13.7	100
2024	554	41.5	13.3	100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for James Buchanan Middle School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$60 (0.5%)	$13,069 (99.6%)	$13,128
2020	$157 (1.3%)	$12,396 (98.7%)	$12,553
2021	$442 (3.3%)	$12,779 (96.7%)	$13,221
2022	$602 (9.9%)	$5,458 (90.1%)	$6,060

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on James Buchanan Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 393^rd of 891 Middle schools	Ranks 368^th of 893 Middle schools	2.9%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
6th Grade Math (James Buchanan Middle School)	29.1	31.7	2.6%
6th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	39	36.4	2.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts (James Buchanan Middle School)	64.8	51.6	13.2%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	63	55.6	7.4%
7th Grade Math (James Buchanan Middle School)	30.6	28.4	2.2%
7th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	38.2	33.2	5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (James Buchanan Middle School)	61.3	50	11.3%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	60.5	54.5	6%
8th Grade Math (James Buchanan Middle School)	34.2	33.9	0.3%
8th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	32.2	26	6.2%
8th Grade Science (James Buchanan Middle School)	71.5	68.5	3%
8th Grade Science (Pennsylvania)	58.2	57	1.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (James Buchanan Middle School)	62.9	55.9	7%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	57.9	52.8	5.1%
All Grades Math (James Buchanan Middle School)	31.3	31.2	0.1%
All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)	42.4	39.3	3.1%
All Grades Science (James Buchanan Middle School)	71.5	68.5	3%
All Grades Science (Pennsylvania)	68	65.6	2.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (James Buchanan Middle School)	63	52.4	10.6%
All Grades English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	60.9	53.8	7.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	601	550	8.5%
African American	9	1	88.9%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	3	3
Hispanic	19	17	10.5%
Pacific Islander	0	4
White	541	502	7.2%
Two or More Races	28	22	21.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	41.9%	100%	58.1%

Schools Near James Buchanan Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				PSSA Math (2024)				PSSA Science (2024)		PSSA English Language Arts (2024)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA Science 8th Grade	PSSA Science All Grades	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
James Buchanan Middle School	Public	6-8	5191 Fort Loudon Rd	Mercersburg	17236	Franklin County	Tuscarora School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 328-5221	554	42	13.3	100.0%	508 (91.7%)	4 (0.7%)	18 (3.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.6%)	56.1	402^nd of 891 public middle schools	54.9%		58.8	368^th of 893 public middle schools	58.8%	34	31.5	25.1	30.0	28.8	61.6	61.6	56.6	48.3	51.7	52.2	$6,060	$602	$5,458
McConnellsburg Middle School	Public	6-8	151 East Cherry Street	Mc Connellsburg	17233	Fulton County	Central Fulton School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 485-3195	203	13	15.1	52.2%	182 (89.7%)	1 (0.5%)	8 (3.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (5.9%)	69.2	259^th of 891 public middle schools	70.9%		64.2	312^th of 893 public middle schools	65.1%	53	41.3	37.3	36.2	38.2	56.5	56.5	55.6	59.4	65.2	60.2	$16,041	$1,180	$14,860
Greencastle-Antrim Middle School	Public	6-8	370 South Ridge Ave	Greencastle	17225	Franklin County	Greencastle-Antrim School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 597-3226	672	48	13.8	40.2%	579 (86.2%)	15 (2.2%)	33 (4.9%)	7 (1.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (5.2%)	83.3	115^th of 891 public middle schools	87.1%		85.1	103^rd of 893 public middle schools	88.5%	12	52.8	40.3	41.4	45.0	72.8	72.8	73.4	68.5	70.3	70.7	$11,809	$00	$11,809
Chambersburg Area Middle School - South	Public	6-8	1151 E McKinley St	Chambersburg	17201	Franklin County	Chambersburg Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 261-3385	1,074	68	15.7	70.9%	574 (53.4%)	91 (8.5%)	319 (29.7%)	22 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	64 (6.0%)	62	337^th of 891 public middle schools	62.2%		59.9	360^th of 893 public middle schools	59.7%	23	30.2	36.5	33.0	33.1	59.5	59.5	54.1	56.6	55.1	55.3	$14,110	$672	$13,437
Chambersburg Area Middle School - North	Public	6-8	1957 Scotland Ave	Chambersburg	17201	Franklin County	Chambersburg Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(717) 261-3369	1,050	63	16.5	63.6%	618 (58.9%)	73 (7.0%)	246 (23.4%)	29 (2.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	82 (7.8%)	67.8	270^th of 891 public middle schools	69.7%		69.7	251^st of 893 public middle schools	71.9%	19	39.4	26.3	26.7	30.7	68.2	68.2	62.9	59.5	69.7	64.1	$13,306	$487	$12,819
Waynesboro Area Middle School	Public	6-8	702 E 2nd St	Waynesboro	17268	Franklin County	Waynesboro Area School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 762-1191	936	62	15.1	55.7%	786 (84.0%)	28 (3.0%)	62 (6.6%)	3 (0.3%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (5.7%)	48.4	481^st of 891 public middle schools	46.0%		53.3	434^th of 893 public middle schools	51.4%	47	27.9	26.5	30.8	28.5	53.6	53.6	41.1	45.8	47.3	44.9	$12,705	$1,410	$11,295
Fannett-Metal Middle School	Public	6-8	14823 Path Valley Road	Willow Hill	17271	Franklin County	Fannett-Metal School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 349-2363	76	9	8.3	100.0%	75 (98.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.3%)	31.8	608^th of 891 public middle schools	31.8%		44.8	515^th of 893 public middle schools	42.3%	93	16.0	16.7	12.1	14.3	39.4	39.4	48.0	25.0	45.4	42.9	$18,459	$2,983	$15,476

James Buchanan Middle School

James Buchanan Middle School:

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Tuscarora School District:

What do you think?

Rank History for James Buchanan Middle School

Rank History for all students at James Buchanan Middle School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at James Buchanan Middle School

Rank History for Female students at James Buchanan Middle School

Rank History for Disabled students at James Buchanan Middle School

Rank History for Male students at James Buchanan Middle School

Rank History for White students at James Buchanan Middle School

Enrollment information for James Buchanan Middle School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at James Buchanan Middle School

Student/Teacher Ratio James Buchanan Middle School

Per Pupil Expenditures for James Buchanan Middle School

Impact of COVID-19 on James Buchanan Middle School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near James Buchanan Middle School