Freeport Area School District final budget includes tax hikes

The Freeport Area School Board raised taxes as much as the state would allow in June, meaning most property owners will owe at least $100 more over the course of the 2025-26 academic year.

The main reason for the hike: A $55 million overhaul of the high school that will include work to the sewage, electrical, heating and cooling systems, among other upgrades.

Freeport Area is a cross-county district, with Buffalo Township in Butler County, and Freeport and South Buffalo in Armstrong County.

That means residents of Armstrong and Butler counties pay different property tax rates because of differences in assessed property values between the counties.

Next year, Buffalo Township property owners will see their millage rate go from an effective rate of 177.1859 mills to 185.91 mills — a 4.93% increase. That will leave average residents on the hook for $194 more than the current year.

In the Armstrong County communities of Freeport and South Buffalo, average property owners will see a $112 increase to their tax bill. That’s because Freeport and South Buffalo residents will be hit with a 5.3% increase in millage, moving from 61.83 mills to 65.1 mills.

Buffalo Township, which has seen an increase in its assessed value compared to the Armstrong County communities, will provide about 75% of the district’s property tax revenue.

Under state law, school districts are limited in how much they can raise taxes in a given year without special permission from the state or a referendum vote by residents. The limit for the 2025-26 school year was set at 5.3% for Freeport Area School District.

The 2025-26 tax increase will generate about $1.5 million more in local tax revenue compared to the current budget.

After this year’s increase, however, school board President Gary Risch Jr. said the board no longer expects multiple consecutive years of maximum tax hikes to fund renovations.