The middle school math examination serves as a checkpoint for high school preparation. Performance on this exam can help predict high school success in math. Proficiency among historically underperforming students can show whether districts and education policymakers have made progress in closing the achievement gap between traditionally underserved groups and other students.

In 2019, 37% of students in Lancaster County and 10% of Lancaster City School District passed the PSSA Grade 8 Math exam, up 1 percentage point for the County and no change in the District in 2018. In contrast, 18% of historically underperforming students in Lancaster County and 8% of historically underperforming students in the Lancaster City School District passed the exam in 2019, with no change in either the County or the District from 2018. Lancaster County's 2019 proficiency rates were slightly higher than statewide rates of 15% for historically underperforming and 32% for all students.

Lancaster County has the third highest proficiency rate among all students following Chester (43%) and Cumberland (42%) and the second highest performance rate among historically underperforming students following Cumberland (22%). Lancaster County's share of historically underperforming students in eighth grade (48%) is similar to Lebanon and York (both 49%), lower than Berks (57%) and Dauphin (55%), and higher than Cumberland (36%) and Chester (34%).

As assessments vary among states, it is not possible to include comparable data for the nation or other areas in this indicator. Data are from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.