Warrior Run School District
Warrior Run School District is a small rural district covering 113 square miles. Located in north central Pennsylvania just north of I80 and 20 miles south of Williamsport, Pa. on Route 180. With a staff of 122 teachers and 11 administrators we provide the educational program for 1525+ students in kindergarten through 12th grades. The district is in the northern end of Northumberland County and draws students from Greg Township in northern Union County, Delaware Township and Lewis Township in Northumberland County, and Anthony Township and Limestone Township in Northern Montour County. The district also draws students from the small towns of Allenwood in Union County and Watsontown, McEwensville, and Turbotville in Northumberland County and Exchange and White Hall in Montour County.The district population is 17,278 as of the 2010 Census.
The population density, as of 2010 Census, is 153 persons per square mile. The district is the second largest employer exceeded only by the Allenwood Federal Prison. The leading industry of the district is farming which is split between dairy and grain farming.
The district traces its roots back to 1955 when eight municipalities joined together to form the Warrior Run School District. Facilities at the time consisted of two high schools - one in Turbotville and one in Watsontown, and eight elementary schools. Construction on a new high school began almost immediately, and it opened for its first student in September of 1958. That building serves the district as the middle school today. In 1962 a new elementary school was built in Watsontown. Over the years, all of the elementary schools were consolidated into the Watsontown and Turbotville Elementary Schools which serve the district today. Both of these schools underwent major renovations and additions in 1978 to accommodate the consolidation. In 1968 the present high school was opened and the former high school became the middle school. The complex underwent major renovations and additions in 1992 which included new libraries, computer labs, and a science wing. Today, the Watsontown and Turbotville Elementary Schools, and the Middle/High School complex make up the facilities of the Warrior Run School District.
The Warrior Run Area has a rich history dating back to pre-European settlements of Native American people, and it was their connection which gave the region its name. The Middle/High School complex sits on a farm that is the site of a battle of the Revolutionary War. That battle saw the involvement of 108 Americans and more thatn 300 Senecas, Tories, and British. Twenty-one Americans died on the school farm.
European settlement was aided by the region's central location with rich limestone soils, numerous streams and ready access to the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and its watershed. Farming was the major source of livelihood for the region for nearly 175 years, but with the end of World War II and the changes it precipitated, farming is no longer the major occupation within the district. Most people work outside the district in communities like Williamsport, Danville, Lewisburg, and Milton, making the district what some would call a "bedroom" community.
Geographically, the northern boundary of the district is made up of the Muncy Hills which is primarily a ridge and valley region with considerable forest coverage. Much of the rest of the district is comprised of rich farmland interspersed with small villages and towns. The major highways consist of I-80 which runs through the extreme southern portion of the district, I-180 which dissects the district from north to south through its very center, US Route 15 in the western portion of the district running from north to south, and State Route 54 running from east to west through the center of the district.
The School District is the common bond that connects the region.
