iroquois as a community school

Iroquois Elementary, part of Iroquois School District, became a United Way Community School in 2017. Iroquois is located east of the City of Erie and encompasses a 2.3 mile radius. The school district is composed of two small adjoining suburban communities, Lawrence Park and Wesleyville. The district is the second smallest in the PA educational system. Iroquois serves about 557 students, with 75% economically disadvantaged, 4.1% English Language Learners, 26.8% receiving special education services, and 2.5% 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 ies.iroquoissd.org!

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 Iroquois's Community School Director, Caitlin Kinnane

Growing up in Mercer County, Caitlin moved to Erie to attend Mercyhurst University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. She later completed a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA and earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Caitlin has spent her career working in nonprofit and university settings in both Pittsburgh and Erie. She joined United Way in 2023 and currently serves as the Community School Director at Iroquois Elementary.

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 Iroquois's Corporate Partner:

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.

Iroquois is expanding access to student health services and after-school opportunities! In the 2024–2025 school year:

54 students received glasses through a school-based mobile vision clinic

67 students participated in after-school programming in Q4 (up from 25 in Q1)

Community school data dashboard

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

Thursday Jan 15th, 2026

Corporate Partner Highlight: Widget Finacial

Widget became a Corporate Partner in 2018, and while their financial support at Iroquois is vital, what truly sets them apart is their hands-on involvement. Widget team members regularly donate their time across United Way Community Schools—volunteering, leading programs, and supporting special projects, including at Elk Valley Elementary. Their commitment reflects what it truly means to give back by investing both resources and people.