HARRISVILLE — Last year's fifth graders at Har-Mer Elementary School tied for 11th place statewide in the math ranking for Pennsylvania System of School Assessment tests.

The class was ranked 11th out of 3,505 elementary schools in math in the state, according to Lee Beaton, superintendent.

"These kids outperformed their peers significantly in math," she said.

None of the students scored below proficient on the test, taken last spring. Of the 24 students, 16 scored advanced proficient and eight were proficient, according to fifth grade teacher Tim Drennen.

The students also did well in reading, with 12 scoring advance proficient and nine scoring proficient.

Beaton said Drennen is due a "lot of congratulations," but he didn't agree fully.

"I feel no more responsible than the other teachers at Har-Mer," he said.

"I really don't feel this is my own expertise," he said. "If these kids hadn't been prepared by their former teachers," they wouldn't have scored so highly, he said.

Har-Mer is the smallest elementary school in Slippery Rock School District. It serves 156 students with one class of each grade except for kindergarten. The smaller size allows the teachers to focus on the students, Drennen said.

After the ranking was announced recently, Drennen went to Slippery Rock Middle School to congratulate his former students. They were excited about the honor, he said.

Beaton presented Drennen and Har-Mer with a plaque announcing the ranking at a recent school board meeting.