Lancaster County
Lancaster School District
Academic outcomes (2024-25)
% proficient or advanced, official PDE district files. Black tick = state average.
The true tax picture
- School millage (2025-26)
- 25.4776 mills
- Effective school tax (of market value)
- 1.27%/yr
- Typical total (county + muni + school)
- 1.80%/yr
- On a $450,000 purchase
- ≈ $8,090/yr
- Median sale, 12 mo (891 sales)
- $270,000
Rates assume an assessment at Lancaster County's current Common Level Ratio (50.00%). PA does not reassess on sale. Exact math for any price: the calculator.
Family & student support
Beyond test scores: official, public measures of student support and community context that families ask about. District- and county-level only; never a rating of an individual school, student, or home.
Support & services
U.S. Dept. of Education / NCES, 2021-22. Gray figures are the PA average.
- Special-education enrollment
- 21.5%PA avg 20.3%
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1PA avg 13.9:1
- Students per school counselor
- 309:1PA avg 352:1 · recommended 250:1
- Students per school psychologist
- 926:1PA avg 1,165:1 · recommended 500:1
Special-education enrollment is the share of students receiving IEP or related services: the support a district provides, not a drawback. Counselor and psychologist ratios compare against ASCA (250:1) and NASP (500:1) recommendations.
Lancaster County: overdose context
Pennsylvania Department of Health. County-level, not specific to any school or district.
Down from 84 the prior year and a peak of 169 in 2017. Recent years are provisional.
School climate & safety
Share of students present at least 90% of enrolled days, vs. 79.6% statewide. Enrollment-weighted across the district's schools. Pennsylvania Future Ready PA Index, 2024-25.
U.S. Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights — Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), 2021-22. Incidents per 1,000 enrolled students; one student can account for several incidents, so this is not the share of students involved. Figures are privacy-adjusted at the school level; small district counts are shown as “fewer than 10.”
- Bullying & harassment allegations
- 0 reported
- Out-of-school suspensions
- 81.3 / 1,000
- Referrals to law enforcement
- 9.3 / 1,000
- School-related arrests
- Fewer than 10
- Restraint or seclusion
- 1.4 / 1,000
Bullying counts are incidents a district formally reported under federal civil-rights categories, a widely underreported measure. A low number (including zero) often reflects reporting practices more than the absence of bullying.
These figures describe districts and counties, not individual schools, students, or homes. They are official public data and may be self-reported, lag by a year or more, or be underreported. They are context for families, not a safety rating. Sources: U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (2021-22); Pennsylvania Department of Health; Pennsylvania Future Ready PA Index (2024-25); U.S. Dept. of Education, Office for Civil Rights — Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) (2021-22).
Schools in Lancaster
19 public schools. Open any for grades, enrollment, and attendance.
Elementary schools
Middle schools
High schools
Tax bill by municipality
| Municipality | Muni millage | Total millage | Effective rate | Tax on $450,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancaster Township | 1.91 mills | 30.59 mills | 1.53% | ≈ $6,882/yr |
| Lancaster City | 12.64 mills | 41.32 mills | 2.07% | ≈ $9,297/yr |
Browse homes in Lancaster
Common questions
Is Lancaster a good school district?
Lancaster scores 38.3 of 100 on the NookLocal Academic Index, #104 of 112 districts serving Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Berks, Lancaster, and the Lehigh Valley. Components (official 2025 PDE data): PSSA proficiency 25% (state ~45%), Keystone proficiency 32%, graduation rate 77.7% (state 89.1%). The index measures outcomes, not school effectiveness in isolation.
What are property taxes in Lancaster School District?
The district levies 25.4776 mills (2025-26) on Lancaster County's assessment base, an effective school tax of about 1.27% of market value at the current Common Level Ratio. With county and typical municipal millage, the total runs about 1.80%, roughly $8,090 per year on a $450,000 purchase. Exact bills vary by municipality (1.53%–2.07% across 2) and by the home's actual assessment.
What towns are in Lancaster School District?
NookLocal-covered towns served by Lancaster: Lancaster City, Lancaster Township. The taxing municipalities are Lancaster Township, Lancaster City. A specific home's district is shown on every NookLocal listing.
Lancaster vs. Columbia Borough: how do they compare?
Academically: Lancaster 38.3 vs. Columbia Borough 30.4 on the Academic Index. On taxes: 1.80% vs. 1.94% of home value per year, about $8,090 vs. $8,744 on a $450,000 purchase. Full comparison on the school district value matrix.
What is the attendance rate in Lancaster School District?
69.4% of Lancaster students are regularly present (enrolled and attending at least 90% of school days) versus 79.6% statewide (Future Ready PA Index, 2024-25).
Does Lancaster support students with IEPs and special needs?
21.5% of students receive special-education services (Pennsylvania average 20.3%), with about 309 students per school counselor and 926 per school psychologist. The Family & student support section above has the full breakdown.
Is Lancaster a safe school district?
Rather than a single safety score, NookLocal shows official district figures. Regular attendance is 69.4% (state 79.6%). For 2021-22, the federal Civil Rights Data Collection reports about 81.3 out-of-school suspensions and 9.3 law-enforcement referrals per 1,000 students. These figures describe the district, not individual schools, and reported bullying is widely undercounted. See the Family & student support section.
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Academic data: PA Department of Education district-level files (2024-25). Tax data: county assessment offices and STEB. Estimates only. Verify with the district and county before transacting. Full methodology on the value matrix.
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