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Best kept secret at Commonwealth Charter Academy CS?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
29,320
Combined
STATE 1,819
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·COMMONWEALTH CHARTER ACADEMY CS·NCES 420011900756
Commonwealth Charter Academy CS
One Innovation Way, Harrisburg, PA 17110 · (717) 710-3300 · Dauphin County
GRADES KG–12COMBINED13-CITYCHARTERVIRTUALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL29,320 STUDENTS
·
allk12 Grade
Not graded
Virtual schools are not graded, because they enroll students from across the state rather than a local area. How grades work
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
1809 FTE teachers
STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
48%
13,940 students
STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 847 | 3% |
| Grade 1 | 995 | 3% |
| Grade 2 | 1,081 | 4% |
| Grade 3 | 1,267 | 4% |
| Grade 4 | 1,272 | 4% |
| Grade 5 | 1,585 | 5% |
| Grade 6 | 2,016 | 7% |
| Grade 7 | 2,428 | 8% |
| Grade 8 | 2,823 | 10% |
| Grade 9 | 4,369 | 15% |
| Grade 10 | 3,840 | 13% |
| Grade 11 | 4,062 | 14% |
| Grade 12 | 2,735 | 9% |
This year's kindergarten class (847) is 70% smaller than its 8th grade class (2,823).
Student demographics
61%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
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
37.3%
PA avg 51.1% . -4.8pp since 2023
Math
15.8%
PA avg 43.0% . -0.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 16 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 5 points since 2023, while math scores have held steady.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 37.3% | 15.8% |
| 2023-24 | 42.1% | 16.5% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
29,320
+12,901 (+79%) vs 2020
+563% since 2010-11, when it was 4,424
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
was 31.3:1
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 | 29,320 | 1,808.5 | 16.2:1 | 48% (13,940) |
| 2023-24 | 23,589 | 1,431.5 | 16.5:1 | 59% (13,940) |
| 2022-23 | 20,355 | 1,170.5 | 17.4:1 | N/A |
| 2020-21 | 16,419 | 525 | 31.3:1 | 49% (8,020) |
| 2017-18 | 8,592 | 341 | 25.2:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 8,877 | 341 | 26.0:1 | N/A |
| 2010-11 | 4,424 | 175 | 25.3:1 | 48% (2,127) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Commonwealth Charter Academy CS.
Since 2017-18: students up 241% (8,592 to 29,320); teachers up 430% (341 to 1,808.5).
About Commonwealth Charter Academy CS
Commonwealth Charter Academy CS is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as a combined-grade school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Enrollment in 2024-25 was 29,320 students in kindergarten through 12. The average for combined schools in Pennsylvania is about 1,819 students, so this school is 1512% larger than average.
In federal data, the district for Commonwealth Charter Academy CS is the school itself.
White students make up a majority at Commonwealth Charter Academy CS, at 58%. The remaining shares are 18% Hispanic, 15% Black, and 8% multiracial. Pick two students at random and there is a 61% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
At Commonwealth Charter Academy CS, 1,808.5 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 16.2:1. On average, combined schools in Pennsylvania have 15.5:1, compared with 16.2:1 here. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 48% of enrollment. The gap from the 59% average for public schools in Dauphin County is 11 points.
Census Bureau estimates for Dauphin County show that the median household income is $76,242, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 34%, and roughly 9% of residents are in poverty. Commonwealth Charter Academy CS is one of 75 public schools in the county.
The closest public school, Camp Curtin Academy, is about 0.7 miles from Commonwealth Charter Academy CS. Other public schools within five miles: at least 8.
Commonwealth Charter Academy CS has an NCES locale of City: Small. Commonwealth Charter Academy CS operates as a charter school, which is publicly funded and run under a charter. The school's NCES record marks it as virtual.
The school's enrollment figures are 16,419 for 2020-21 and 29,320 for 2024-25. Differences this large can reflect a change in grade levels, a boundary change, or a merger. Staffing shifted too: the ratio moved from 31.3:1 to 16.2:1.
Posts about science fairs, picture day, and bus routes are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Dauphin County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
289,593
Census ACS
Median income
$76,242
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
75
72,718 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Harrisburg
- Reach Cyber CSCombined · 5,721 students
- Central Dauphin SHSHigh · 1,966 students
- Central Dauphin East SHSHigh · 1,573 students
- Harrisburg High SchoolHigh · 1,343 students
- Dauphin County Technical SchoolHigh · 1,187 students
- Linglestown Middle SchoolMiddle · 841 students
Nearby schools
- Camp Curtin Academy0.7 mi · 724
- Steele School0.7 mi · 362
- Cougar Academy1.1 mi · 300
- Downey School1.2 mi · 405
- Pennsylvania STEAM Academy CS1.5 mi · 360
- Benjamin Franklin School1.5 mi · 678
Frequently asked questions
About Commonwealth Charter Academy CSHow many students attend Commonwealth Charter Academy CS?
Commonwealth Charter Academy CS enrolls approximately 29,320 students in grades KG-12.
Is Commonwealth Charter Academy CS an elementary, middle, or high school?
Commonwealth Charter Academy CS is a combined-grade school covering grades KG-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Commonwealth Charter Academy CS?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Commonwealth Charter Academy CS is approximately 16.2:1 (1809 FTE teachers).
What is the student diversity at Commonwealth Charter Academy CS?
Student demographics at Commonwealth Charter Academy CS are roughly 58% White, 18% Hispanic, 15% Black, 1% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Is Commonwealth Charter Academy CS public or private?
Commonwealth Charter Academy CS is a public K-12 school operated as a charter, overseen by Commonwealth Charter Academy CS.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.