1
Enrollment
694
Elementary
DISTRICT 497 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ALLENTOWN CITY SD·NCES 420228002790
Central Elementary School
829 W Turner St, Allentown, PA 18102 · (484) 765-4801 · Lehigh County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY12-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL694 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 9% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
50 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 15.5:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
100%
697 students
DISTRICT 102% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 20 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 99 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 141 | 20% |
| Grade 2 | 128 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 113 | 16% |
| Grade 4 | 84 | 12% |
| Grade 5 | 109 | 16% |
This year's kindergarten class (99) is 9% smaller than its 5th grade class (109).
Student demographics
45%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 43% · 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
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
11.3%
PA avg 51.1% . -7.0pp since 2023
Math
17.8%
PA avg 43.0% . -4.0pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 11 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 18 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are down about 7 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 4 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 11.3% | 17.8% |
| 2023-24 | 18.3% | 21.8% |
% 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
20.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
34.5%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-13.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 21% 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 →
Where Central Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Lehigh County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 20.6% | #1,285 of 1,396 | #38 of 43 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 17.8% | #1,314 of 1,511 ▼ 74 | #39 of 45 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 11.3% | #1,477 of 1,511 ▼ 58 | #45 of 45 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 694 | #144 of 1,638 | #3 of 50 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.9:1 | #1,042 of 1,528 | #26 of 48 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 45.3% | #638 of 1,531 | #32 of 48 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 100% | #287 of 1,600 | #9 of 48 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -4.5% | #868 of 1,045 | #19 of 23 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
694
+31 (+5%) vs 2020
+8% since 1990-91, when it was 641
Student : Teacher
13.9:1
was 14.1:1
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 | 694 | 49.9 | 13.9:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 697 | 43.3 | 16.1:1 | 100% (697) |
| 2022-23 | 662 | 45 | 14.7:1 | 100% (662) |
| 2020-21 | 663 | 47 | 14.1:1 | 100% (660) |
| 2017-18 | 727 | 42 | 17.3:1 | 100% (727) |
| 2015-16 | 767 | 45 | 17.0:1 | 60% (459) |
| 2010-11 | 701 | 53 | 13.2:1 | 95% (666) |
| 2000-01 | 810 | 36 | 22.5:1 | 80% (651) |
| 1990-91 | 641 | 39 | 16.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Central Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 5% (727 to 694); teachers up 19% (42 to 49.9).
About Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School is one of the public schools in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It is a large elementary school. Classes run from pre-K through 5, and the school has 694 students. Against the 443-student average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania, enrollment here is 57% higher.
Allentown City SD counts 16,674 students in its 23 schools, and Central Elementary School is one of them.
Central Elementary School is 72% Hispanic by enrollment. The remaining students are 12% Black, 11% multiracial, and 5% White. Among people living in Lehigh County, the Hispanic share is about 28%. Central Elementary School's diversity index is 45%, against a US figure of 70%.
Central Elementary School operates with 49.9 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 13.9:1. On average, elementary schools in Pennsylvania have 13.1:1, compared with 13.9:1 here.
allk12 grades Central Elementary School a D. The grade compares the school only with Pennsylvania public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Central Elementary School is 34.5%, and its average proficiency rate on state tests is 20.6%.
Among Lehigh County residents, the median household income is $80,079, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 34%, and roughly 8% of residents are in poverty. Besides Central Elementary School, Lehigh County has 82 other public schools.
The nearest other public school, Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School, is about 0.5 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. On state test proficiency, Central Elementary School ranks 3rd in a group of 7 nearby schools.
Its NCES locale code is City: Mid-size: the school is inside a principal city with a population between 100,000 and 250,000.
Federal data show a 5% enrollment increase, from 663 in 2020-21 to 694 in 2024-25.
Questions about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes can be posted here. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Lehigh County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
378,792
Census ACS
Median income
$80,079
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
83
56,984 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Allentown City SD
- William Allen High SchoolHigh · 3,074 students
- Louis E Dieruff High SchoolHigh · 1,914 students
- South Mountain Middle SchoolMiddle · 972 students
- Francis D Raub Middle SchoolMiddle · 876 students
- Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary SchoolElementary · 807 students
- Trexler Middle SchoolMiddle · 771 students
Other schools in Allentown
- Parkland High SchoolHigh · 3,279 students
- William Allen High SchoolHigh · 3,074 students
- Louis E Dieruff High SchoolHigh · 1,914 students
- Executive Education Academy CSCombined · 1,497 students
- Springhouse Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,329 students
- Lincoln Leadership Academy CSCombined · 973 students
Other Central Elementary schools
151 other US public schools in 35 states are named Central Elementary. Central Elementary School is the 11th largest of the 152.
- Central Elementary SchoolBeaver Falls, PA · 466 students
- Central Elementary SchoolAllison Park, PA · 456 students
- Central Elementary SchoolSouth Williamsport, PA · 414 students
- Central Elementary SchoolFranklin, PA · 342 students
- Central Elementary SchoolElizabeth, PA · 292 students
Nearby schools
- Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays Elementary School0.5 mi · 807
- Arts Academy Elementary CS0.5 mi · 425
- Building 21 Allentown0.6 mi · 415
- Roberto Clemente CS0.7 mi · 619
- Washington Elementary School0.7 mi · 362
- Ruby Bridge Childhood Center0.7 mi · 125
Frequently asked questions
About Central Elementary SchoolHow large is Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School enrolls approximately 694 students in grades PK-05.
Is Central Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Central Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Central Elementary School have?
Central Elementary School employs 50 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.9:1.
What is the student diversity at Central Elementary School?
Student demographics at Central Elementary School are roughly 5% White, 72% Hispanic, 12% Black, 0% Asian, 11% Two or more.
Who oversees Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School is overseen by Allentown City SD in Lehigh County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.