6 Lower Merion Elementary Schools Among Best: U.S. News

LOWER MERION TWP., PA — Several elementary schools in the Lower Merion School District have been ranked among the best in Pennsylvania, according to a brand-new ranking released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

For the inaugural list, U.S. News published rankings and data on more than 80,000 public elementary and middle schools across the United States.

Schools in Wynnewood, Merion Station, Bala Cynwyd, and Narbeth made the list.

Schools are ranked at the state and district levels. The best charter schools and best magnet schools ranked as stand-alone categories.

U.S. News ranked Penn Wynne School as the highest in the state among schools in the LMSD, according to the new list. Penn Wynne School was ranked number 23.

Here’s a look at how other schools in the Lower Merion School District ranked compared with others in the state:

30: Merion Elementary School
42: Cynwyd School
54: Penn Valley School

86: Gladwyne School
239: Belmont Hills Elementary School

To determine the rankings, U.S. News used data from the U.S. Department of Education to analyze two areas at each school:

• Math and reading proficiency — or how well students perform on state assessments.
• Math and reading performance — or how well they perform compared with expectations.

The state assessment data used in the rankings is from the 2018-19 school year and, therefore, predates any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on test-taking.

Schools were also ranked by district. Here’s how elementary and middle schools in Lower Merion School District measured up:

1. Penne Wynne School
2. Merion Elementary School
3. Cynwyd School
4. Penn Valley School
5-6. Belmont Hills Elementary School

5-6. Gladwyne School

Nationally, California has 5,534 ranked elementary schools — the most of any state — followed by Texas at 4,446; New York at 2,211; Florida at 2,128; and Illinois at 2,038 schools.
California also has the most ranked middle schools with 2,319, followed by Texas at 1,942; Illinois at 1,243; New York at 1,219; and Florida at 997.
See the complete list of 2021’s Best K-8 Schools.