Shamokin Area School District academic ranking declined further to 445th out of the 493 ranked Pennsylvania school districts, in 2016, by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The district is the lowest ranked school district in the CSIU16 region. The ranking was based on student academic performance as demonstrated in the last 3 years of PSSA results in: reading, writing, math and science and the three Keystone Exams (literature, Algebra 1, Biology I) in high school. Three school districts were excluded because they do not operate high schools (Saint Clair Area School District, Midland Borough School District, Duquesne City School District). The PSSAs are given to all children in grades 3rd through 8th. Adapted examinations are given to children in the special education programs. Writing exams were given to children in 5th and 8th grades.