Diehl Elementary

 

Diehl as a community school

Diehl Elementary, part of Erie’s Public Schools, became a United Way Community School in 2018. Situated on Erie’s east side in a neighborhood surrounded by local businesses and Housing Authority communities, Diehl serves about 458 students, with 94% economically disadvantaged, 20% English Language Learners, 18% receiving special education services, and 2% experiencing homelessness. Data pulled from Future Ready PA Index. All data points feature the most up-to-date publicly available metrics.

For more information and district resources, visit eriesd.org/diehl, or check out their Facebook!

United Way community school director

Community School Directors are United Way of Erie County employees embedded full-time within each Community School. They serve as the on-site connector between the school and community, building relationships with students, families, staff, and partners to remove non-academic barriers to learning. By coordinating resources and aligning support, Community School Directors, with the assistance of United Way backbone staff, help ensure every student and family has what they need to succeed in school and life. 

Meet Diehl's Community School Director, Chris Fox

Prior to joining United Way as a Community School Director, Chris served for ten years as the Assistant Director of Civic and Community Engagement at Penn State Behrend. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and a Master’s degree in Counseling, with a focus in student personnel services, from Edinboro University.

During graduate school, Chris served as a graduate assistant for the Center for Outdoor Recreation Experience and completed a master’s project focused on experiential learning. He worked in student affairs in higher education for twenty-two years before joining United Way. Chris resides in Harborcreek with his wife, their three children, and their dog, Wally.

chris headshot

Corporate Partners

Corporate Partners are integrated partners, not just donors. Their collaboration creates consistency, resources, and opportunities that directly impact student success and family well-being — key pillars of the Community Schools Model. 

These businesses and organizations provide both financial and volunteer support, working side-by-side with Community School Directors to create meaningful opportunities, improve learning environments, and strengthen connections between schools and the community. 

Interested in becoming a Corporate Partner? Contact Julie Chacona, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer at julie@unitedwayerie.org or Anita Kuchcinski, Vice President of Development at anita@unitedwayerie.org. 

Meet Diehl's Corporate Partners:

cOMMUNITY sCHOOL hiGHLIGHT

Every year, United Way Community Schools make measurable strides across the four pillars of the Community School Model. Here's one highlight from the last school year.

Learn more about the pillars & goals

Families at Diehl consistently express pride and confidence in the school community! In the 2024-2025 school year, surveys show:

94 % of families say their child feels safe at school
96 % of families are proud that their child attends Diehl
96 % of families feel welcome at Diehl

Community school data dashboard

This dashboard provides a comprehensive view of academic performance, attendance, and survey data for Diehl Elementary as a United Way Community School. It contains seven interactive pages, each focusing on a distinct area of data.

  • Page 1 presents key school facts from the most recent year of available data.
  • Page 2 displays PSSA scores, allowing users to select metrics and filter by subject and demographics.
  • Page 3 shows PVAAS scores for the most recent year, with similar filtering options.
  • Page 4 highlights attendance data, which can be filtered by year.
  • Pages 5 through 7 include student, family, and staff survey results, also filterable by year. All visuals and filters are interactive, enabling users to click within charts to explore the data in greater depth.

IMPACT STORIES

These stories highlight real examples of how the United Way Community Schools model is creating lasting change. From improved student engagement to stronger family connections, each story showcases the people, partnerships, and progress driving success across our community.

DIEHL Elementary School Photo Gallery