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 2022, 26% of students in Lancaster County and 7% of Lancaster City School District students passed the PSSA Grade 8 Math exam, up 1 percentage point for the County and 4 percentage points for the District from 2021. In contrast, 12% of historically underperforming students in Lancaster County and 5% of historically underperforming students in the Lancaster City School District passed the exam in 2022, an increase of 1 percentage point in the County and 3 percentage points in the District from 2021. Lancaster County's 2022 proficiency rates were slightly higher than statewide rates of 10% for historically underperforming and 23% for all students.

Lancaster County had the third-highest proficiency rate among all students, following Chester (31%) and Cumberland (29%), and the highest performance rate among historically underperforming students followed by Cumberland (11%), York (10%), Chester and Lebanon (both 9%), and Berks and Dauphin (both at 7%).

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.

The Spring 2020 PSSA was cancelled in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 2021 PSSA results were delayed. 2021 results may not reflect representative samples of the schools' students. Cross-year comparisons of proficiency are likely to be inaccurate for this reason.