Washington Township, York County, Pennsylvania


Washington Township is a township in York County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,673 at the 2010 census.

History

The Bridge in Washington Township and Henry and Elizabeth Berkheimer Farm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, of which 0.04% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,460 people, 890 households, and 696 families residing in the township. The population density was 88.3 people per square mile. There were 941 housing units at an average density of 33.8/sq mi. The racial makeup of the township was 98.50% White, 0.33% African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.37% of the population.
There were 890 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.6% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the township the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $52,278, and the median income for a family was $57,196. Males had a median income of $36,901 versus $26,122 for females. The per capita income for the township was $20,550. About 2.8% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 17.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Washington Township is served by the Dover Area School District which provides full day kindergarten through 12th grade. The District includes Dover Area High School. In 2013, the Dover Area School District enrollment was 3,645 pupils In 2006, the district's enrollment was 3,661 pupils. Dover Area School District operates: Dover Area Elementary School, Leib Elementary School, North Salem Elementary School, Weigelstown Elementary School, Dover Area Intermediate School, and Dover Area High School. In 2013, Dover Area School District’s graduation rate was 90%.
High school aged students can attend the taxpayer funded York County School of Technology, which is located in York, Pennsylvania, for training in the building trades, auto mechanics, culinary arts, allied health careers and other areas. York County School of Technology is sponsored by fourteen local public school districts including Dover Area School District.
Washington Township students may apply to attend York Academy Regional Charter School, which is located in York. Students may also choose to attend one of the Commonwealth's fourteen cyber charter schools at no additional cost to the family or student. The local school district pays the state set tuition fee to the cyber charter school that the student chooses to attend. Alternatively, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania permits parents to home school their children or they may attend a private school. In 2013, the tuition rate that Dover Area School District paid was for elementary students $8,471.35 and high school students $10,248.48 in 2013. By Commonwealth law, if the District provides transportation for its own students, then the District must provide transportation to any school that lies within 10 miles of its borders including private schools. Residents may also seek admission for their school aged child to any other public school district. When accepted for admission, the student's parents are responsible for paying an annual tuition fee set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
In 2014, Dover Area School District ranked 360th out of 496 Pennsylvania public school districts, by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking is based on the last 3 years of student academic achievement as demonstrated by PSSAs results in: reading, writing, math and science and the three Keystone Exams in high school. Three school districts were excluded because they do not operate high schools. The PSSAs are given to all children in grades 3rd through 8th. Adapted PSSA examinations are given to children in the special education programs. Writing exams were given to children in 5th and 8th grades. In 2007, Dover Area School District ranked 244th of 500 school districts in Pennsylvania.
In 2014, Washington Township residents petitioned the state to permit the township to leave the Dover Area School District to join the Northern York County School District. The petitioners cited the superior education outcomes and lower property taxes in Northern York County School District as motives for the change request. Estimates project a net gain of $800,000 to $1 million over the next five years to Northern County School District were the change to be finalized. On November 10, 2014, York County President Judge Stephen Linebaugh ruled the township could become an "independent district for the purpose of transfer," which leads to the final step in the transfer process. The petition was ruled to have "educational merit" in July 2014 by Rita Perez, the Acting Deputy Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12 provides a wide variety of services to children living in its region which includes Washington Township. Early screening, special education services, speech and hearing therapy, autistic support, preschool classes and many other services like driver education are available. Services for children during the preschool years are provided without cost to their families when the child is determined to meet eligibility requirements. Intermediate units receive taxpayer funding: through subsidies paid by member school districts; through direct charges to users for some services; through the successful application for state and federal competitive grants and through private grants.