About Us
About Tuscarora School District
Tuscarora School District is rooted in the communities we serve. Located in western Franklin County, Pennsylvania, our district stretches across nearly 207 square miles of farmland, small towns, and close-knit communities surrounding Mercersburg, St. Thomas, Montgomery, and the Tuscarora region.
Across our six schools—four elementary schools, James Buchanan Middle School, and James Buchanan High School—we serve approximately 2,250 students from kindergarten through graduation. The TSD Online Academy provides an additional learning option for students who need greater flexibility while remaining part of the Tuscarora community.
What makes Tuscarora special is not simply our size or our location. It is the relationships within our schools.
Our students are known. Our families are connected to their schools. Our teachers, support staff, administrators, coaches, advisors, and community partners care deeply about the young people we serve. In a district like ours, those relationships matter, and we believe they are one of our greatest strengths.
We also believe that knowing our students means having high expectations for them.
Our work begins with strong foundations in reading, writing, mathematics, science, and the skills students need to continue learning throughout their lives. We want students to ask questions, solve problems, communicate effectively, work with others, persevere when things are difficult, and take increasing responsibility for their own success.
Learning at Tuscarora extends far beyond the classroom. Students can find their place through athletics, music, the arts, agriculture, career and technical education, clubs, leadership opportunities, and community experiences. These opportunities allow students to discover what they enjoy, develop their talents, and begin to see a future for themselves.
There is no single path after James Buchanan High School, and we do not believe there should be. Our responsibility is to prepare students to pursue the path that is right for them—whether that means college, career and technical training, military service, entering the workforce, entrepreneurship, or another opportunity yet to be discovered.
Tuscarora is proud of its history and traditions, but we are also looking ahead. We are strengthening instruction, building better systems of support for students, expanding opportunities, and working to ensure that every student has what they need to grow from their first days in our schools through graduation.
For families who have been part of Tuscarora for generations and those just discovering our community, we want our schools to be places where students are challenged, supported, connected, and proud to belong.
This is Tuscarora: strong communities, strong relationships, high expectations, and a shared commitment to preparing every student for what comes next.