Chambersburg Area School District officials on Tuesday gave board members a preview of the district's Comprehensive Annual Data Report (CADR), saying the three-year analysis shows secondary‑school proficiency strengths but urgent foundational literacy challenges in the early grades.

Superintendent Mike Bigger introduced the preview and said the full CADR will be presented at the November board meeting with a complete executive summary. The district incorporated final state data two weeks before the meeting and is awaiting school performance profile releases from the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Key findings and priorities
District data leaders said Chambersburg shows "significant academic strengths in secondary education and science," with middle- and high-school Keystone exam proficiency above the state average in algebra, biology and literature. The district also reported gains in fifth-grade English language arts after previously low third‑grade scores.

However, the district highlighted immediate priorities: strengthening foundational elementary literacy and reversing declining academic growth at the secondary level. The presentation said third‑grade reading proficiency “lags significantly behind the state,” and staff described plans that include expanding the district's existing "Walk to Read" initiative, earlier pre‑K preventive supports, family engagement, and intensive professional development in the science of reading for primary teachers.

District next steps
Deputy and curriculum leaders will present detailed school-level priorities at the November 18 board meeting, including curriculum scope-and-sequence audits and updates to school improvement plans. Administrators also said the CADR will include data by building, discipline, attendance and athletics, and that a public dashboard will be posted online and updated as state metrics become available.

NJROTC recognition and program support
Separately, the board received a report on the school's Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC). Commander Apgar and cadet leaders recounted summer leadership trainings, competitions and community service. Deborah Luffey, the district director for grades 9–12, read a letter recognizing Chambersburg Area Senior High School as a "distinguished unit with academic honors" for the 2025–26 school year and noted the unit was rated the No. 1 NJROTC unit in the Mid‑Atlantic Region.

The program also reported a new 10‑passenger van purchased in September with community support. Commander Apgar said the vehicle has already been driven about 400 miles and that community partners pledged roughly 50% of the cost up front (about $6,100) plus additional pledged donations totaling roughly $18,000 over four years; the Booster Club pledged $2,000 from a recent fundraiser.

What board members asked
Board members requested building‑level breakdowns of third‑grade proficiency and a list of remedial programs by school. One board member asked that district benchmarking compare Chambersburg to a consistent set of 10 peer districts; administrators said that comparison will be added to the CADR when comparable data are released.

Ending note
District staff emphasized the CADR preview is a "sneak peek" and that full data and school‑level profiles will be available at the November meeting and online, and that the district plans targeted interventions for early literacy and audits of secondary curriculum to address growth declines.