East middle

 

East as a community school

East Middle, part of Erie’s Public Schools, became a United Way Community School in 2017. East Middle School serves students in the northwestern corner of the City of Erie. After the consolidation of 2017, East became one of three middle schools in Erie’s Public Schools. East students primarily graduate from Edison, Diehl, and Pfeiffer-Burleigh elementary schools. The school serves about 672 students, with 93% economically disadvantaged, 27.1% English Language Learners, 22.9% receiving special education services, and 3.9% experiencing homelessness. 

For more information and district resources, visit eriesd.org/east 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 East's Community School Director, Autumn Shuskie

Autumn holds a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology and previously served as an eighth-grade learning support teacher at East Middle School. In 2024, she stepped into the role of Community School Director, driven by her deep commitment to the school and the surrounding community.

She is passionate about relationship-building and supporting student success both inside and outside the classroom.

Autumn

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.

FUNDING Partners

Women United actively supports Community Schools by serving as a dedicated funding partner. They provide essential financial resources to address any gaps that United Way Community Schools might encounter. Their contributions can be tailored to support specific schools or bolster the overall Community School Model, ensuring a robust and sustainable educational environment. Through their partnership, they aim to enhance the quality of education and community engagement, making a tangible difference in the lives of students and families. Learn more about Women United.

Meet East's Funding Partner:

Women United for CS v2

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.

East is showing gains in staff safety, pride, and school climate! In the 2024-2025 school year, surveys show:

41 % increase in staff who feel safe working at East
10 % increase in staff who feel proud to work at East
21 % increase in staff who say the school atmosphere is positive

Community School Dashboard

This dashboard provides a comprehensive view of academic performance, attendance, and survey data for East Middle 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 5-7: 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.

East's Photo Gallery