North Schuylkill Elementary School

Tucked into the coal-region hills of Schuylkill County, North Schuylkill Elementary serves the small borough of Ashland and the surrounding communities that make up this tight-knit rural district. Academics here have room to grow, particularly in English and Math, but the school's science scores show more promise and reflect the kind of hands-on, practical learning that tends to resonate in working-class communities with deep roots in the land. Families who value a close community feel and small-town Pennsylvania life — where neighbors know each other and kids grow up with a strong sense of place — will feel right at home here.