Pfeiffer-Burleigh as a community school

Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary, part of Erie’s Public Schools, became a United Way Community School in 2017. Located at 235 East 11th Street and serving a wide section of Erie’s center-city neighborhoods—stretching across areas on both the west and east sides of downtown, primarily north of 12th Street with some areas extending to 17th Street—Pfeiffer-Burleigh serves about 612 students, with 95% economically disadvantaged, 20% English Language Learners, 18% receiving special education services, and 8% 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/pb, 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 PB's Community School Director, Courtney Tirak

Courtney joined Pfeiffer-Burleigh in 2021 as a truancy monitor and stepped into the Community School Director role in 2024. Her extensive background in education and social services includes experience as an educator, early childhood program administrator, volunteer coordinator, adult education instructor, and social services program director.

As a parent of two sons who have attended Erie’s Public Schools, Courtney understands the challenges families navigate and is dedicated to creating a welcoming, supportive environment for all students and families.

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 Pfeiffer-Burleigh'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.

Pfeiffer-Burleigh is strengthening community connection through volunteerism and family support! In the 2024–2025 school year:

164 community and family volunteers

880 volunteer hours served at events and programs

200 orientations provided for new students and families

Community school data dashboard

This dashboard provides a comprehensive view of academic performance, attendance, and survey data for Pfeiffer-Burleigh 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.