Central Bucks School District placed 38th statewide in the Pittsburgh Business Times' 2026 standardized test rankings, a top-50 finish that arrives as the district absorbs a $22.3 million budget gap, a 5.7% property tax hike, and a sweeping grade realignment set to begin in August.
The rankings, reported by BucksCoToday, draw on three years of PSSA results in math, English and science plus Keystone Exam scores in algebra, biology and literature.
That multi-year window smooths out single-year swings and gives a broader picture of how students at the district's three high schools, CB East, CB West, and CB South, are performing.
Central Bucks trailed neighboring Council Rock by one spot. Council Rock climbed three positions from the prior year to No. 37. New Hope-Solebury led Bucks County at No. 16, while Pennsbury rounded out the county's top-100 presence at No. 83.
Strong scores, tight budget
The ranking lands at a moment of significant financial and structural change for the district's more than 17,400 students across nine municipalities including Doylestown, Buckingham, and New Britain.
The school board approved a $460.4 million budget for 2026-27 that includes a 5.7% property tax increase, adding roughly $344 per year to the average homeowner's bill. The district applied for an Act 1 special education exemption to exceed the standard tax cap and close the $22.3 million gap, according to WFMZ.
Board President Heather Reynolds acknowledged the difficulty of the budget process at the June 25 board meeting. "I know it was long, it was hard and it was tough," she said.
More than 80% of the district's funding comes from local property taxes, and more than 60% of those dollars go directly to classroom instruction, according to the district's 2026-2029 Comprehensive Plan.
New leadership, new structure
Dr. Joanna Wexler started as superintendent on July 1 after the board approved her five-year appointment at a special meeting on April 14. She previously served as assistant superintendent at Great Valley School District. Wayne Gehris, the district's new chief financial officer, was approved by the board on June 25 after 25 years of public-sector financial experience at Reading School District.
What the data shows
The district's own Comprehensive Plan describes its Keystone Exam results as "outstanding in comparison to other districts," though not yet back to pre-pandemic levels. On the 2024-25 PSSA, about 75% of fourth graders and 69% of eighth graders scored Proficient or Advanced in science, both well above state averages. Over 250 students exited math intervention during 2024-25 after meeting growth expectations.
