Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology

The small sample size here demands caution, but the pattern is troubling: Mifflin County's nursing program produces graduates earning roughly $6,000 less annually than the typical Pennsylvania LPN program. In a state with 53 competing options—including several technical schools where graduates earn $10,000-20,000 more—this program lands in just the 40th percentile statewide. The $12,731 in debt is manageable at face value, representing about four months of first-year earnings, but it's still notable when you're starting at $41,000 rather than the state median of nearly $48,000.

The 5% earnings growth to year four suggests modest career progression, though the absolute numbers remain underwhelming. For context, top technical programs in Pennsylvania like Delaware County Technical School see their graduates earning $65,986—a $22,000 premium over Mifflin County's outcomes. That gap compounds over a career.

Given the limited data and the program's middling performance both nationally and within Pennsylvania, families should examine whether local employment opportunities justify attendance here, or if a slightly longer commute to a stronger-performing technical school would deliver meaningfully better outcomes. With dozens of alternatives across Pennsylvania showing superior results, this particular path requires careful scrutiny against what's available within driving distance.