Five Mercer County school districts succeeded in appealing or correcting information about them in a statewide report on school progress.

Others appealing Pennsylvania's annual school progress report will have to provide the state Department of Education with more information before their substandard ratings are upgraded.

More than a dozen Mercer County area schools fell below state standards between 2002 and 2003 according to the progress report released Aug. 11.

According to the initial report:

   » Farrell High, Greenville Junior-Senior High, George Junior Republic in Pine Township, Hickory High in Hermitage, Jamestown Junior-Senior High, Lakeview High, Reynolds Elementary, Reynolds Junior-Senior High, Sharon Junior-Senior High, Sharon's Musser and West Hill elementary schools and West Middlesex Junior-Senior High were labeled: "Needs Improvement."

   » Farrell Elementary, Keystone Education Center in West Salem Township, Mercer Junior-Senior High and Wilmington Area Middle School were listed as "School Improvement I," meaning it is the second year in a row they haven't met state-mandated goals for improvement.

Many local school officials appealed those designations on a variety of reasons, ranging from faulty and incomplete data to flat-out mistakes.

Farrell, Hermitage, Sharon and Wilmington succeeded in their appeals. Mercer appealed as well; information was corrected, moving the school from "School Improvement I" to "Needs Improvement." A full appeal, however, was not granted.