Enrollment
290
High
DISTRICT 311 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CALIFORNIA AREA SD·NCES 420471004203
California Area SHS
11 Trojan Way, Coal Center, PA 15423 · (724) 785-5800 · Washington County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL290 STUDENTS
C
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 34% of Pennsylvania public high schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Pennsylvania public high schools
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
21 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.2:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
287 students
DISTRICT 97% · STATE 75%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 71 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 78 | 27% |
| Grade 11 | 69 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 72 | 25% |
Student demographics
29%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · STATE 59% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within California Area SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
49.2%
PA avg 51.1% . +2.2pp since 2023
Math
26.2%
PA avg 43.0% . +2.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 26 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are up about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 2 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 49.2% | 26.2% |
| 2023-24 | 47.0% | 23.9% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
35.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.2%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-0.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 35% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% typical for Pennsylvania schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Pennsylvania's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like California Area SHS
California Area SHS's state test result (35.0% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Area SHS this school | 290 | 99.0% | 35.0% |
| Mount Union Area SHS Mount Union | 323 | 98.8% | 30.5% |
| Union City High School Union City | 304 | 96.4% | 46.7% |
| Apollo-Ridge High School Spring Church | 327 | 98.2% | 54.8% |
| Kane Area High School Kane | 282 | 98.9% | 57.0% |
| Coudersport Area JSHS Coudersport | 244 | 98.8% | 51.9% |
Matched among Pennsylvania high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where California Area SHS ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Washington County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 35.0% | #463 of 576 | #13 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 26.2% | #449 of 626 ▲ 7 | #12 of 14 ▼ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.2% | #426 of 626 ▲ 57 | #12 of 14 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 290 | #556 of 713 | #13 of 16 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.0:1 | #311 of 601 | #9 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 28.9% | #310 of 604 | #4 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.0% | #144 of 619 | #2 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.8% | #192 of 221 | #5 of 7 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
290
+26 (+10%) vs 2020
-31% since 1990-91, when it was 420
Student : Teacher
14.0:1
was 13.9:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 290 | 20.7 | 14.0:1 | 99% (287) |
| 2023-24 | 292 | 18.7 | 15.6:1 | 99% (289) |
| 2022-23 | 286 | 19.3 | 14.8:1 | 36% (103) |
| 2020-21 | 264 | 19 | 13.9:1 | 30% (78) |
| 2017-18 | 285 | 19.9 | 14.3:1 | 32% (90) |
| 2015-16 | 267 | 20 | 13.3:1 | 34% (90) |
| 2010-11 | 294 | 20 | 14.7:1 | 39% (115) |
| 2000-01 | 325 | 23 | 14.1:1 | 26% (83) |
| 1990-91 | 420 | 25 | 16.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for California Area SHS.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (285 to 290); teachers up 4% (19.9 to 20.7).
About California Area SHS
California Area SHS is a very small high school in California Area SD, located in Coal Center, Pennsylvania. It reports enrollment of 290 students in grades 9 through 12. Across high schools in Pennsylvania, the average enrollment is about 738.
The district, California Area SD, operates 3 schools serving 933 students.
California Area SHS is 84% White by enrollment. Other reported shares: 7% multiracial, 5% Black, and 4% Hispanic. Measured by the diversity index, the student body scores 29%.
Its staff includes 20.7 full-time-equivalent teachers, for about 14.0 students per teacher. Compared with the 12.8:1 average for high schools in Pennsylvania, this school's ratio is higher. Roughly 99% of students at California Area SHS can receive free or reduced-price lunch. The average for public schools in Washington County is 49%.
California Area SHS holds a C allk12 Grade, placing it above 34% of Pennsylvania public high schools.
California Area SHS sits between the top and bottom 10% of Pennsylvania schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate across its state test results of 35.0% and a predicted 35.2%.
For Washington County, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $78,958 a year, 33% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 6% of people live in poverty. Counting California Area SHS, Washington County has 56 public schools.
A public school less than a tenth of a mile away, California Area Middle School, is the closest to California Area SHS. In all, 6 other public schools sit within five miles of California Area SHS. Among its closest neighbors with test data, California Area SHS is 4th of 6 on proficiency.
California Area SHS is in rural territory close to an urban area, a location NCES labels Rural: Fringe.
Enrollment increased by 10% across 4 years, from 264 in 2020-21 to 290 in 2024-25.
This page is a place to ask questions and share updates about athletics, class schedules, and weather closures at California Area SHS. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Washington County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
210,042
Census ACS
Median income
$78,958
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
33%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
56
26,079 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in California Area SD
- California Area Elementary SchoolElementary · 485 students
- California Area Middle SchoolMiddle · 158 students
- California Area Intermediate Middle SchoolElementary
Other schools in Coal Center
- California Area Elementary SchoolElementary · 485 students
- California Area Middle SchoolMiddle · 158 students
- California Academy of Learning CSCombined · 153 students
- California Area Intermediate Middle SchoolElementary
Nearby schools
- California Area Middle School0.0 mi · 158
- California Academy of Learning CS0.2 mi · 153
- California Area Elementary School0.2 mi · 485
- Brownsville Area Elementary School3.0 mi · 617
- Brownsville Area Middle School3.1 mi · 329
- Brownsville Area High School3.2 mi · 457
Frequently asked questions
About California Area SHSHow many students attend California Area SHS?
California Area SHS enrolls approximately 290 students in grades 09-12.
Is California Area SHS an elementary, middle, or high school?
California Area SHS is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many students per teacher at California Area SHS?
Approximately 14.0:1 students per teacher at California Area SHS.
How diverse is California Area SHS?
California Area SHS reports a student body of 84% White, 4% Hispanic, 5% Black, 0% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees California Area SHS?
California Area SHS is overseen by California Area SD in Washington County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.