Cougar Academy

Cougar Academy is an unified-grade school of minimally staffed scale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, overseen by Harrisburg City SD, educateing 300 students in grades K through 12. Enrollment runs roughly 84% below the state mean of about 1,819.

Across the 12 schools in Harrisburg City SD (6,462 students total), Cougar Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Cougar Academy lists that the largest single group is Hispanic at 53%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest consists of 42% Black, 5% multiracial. By comparison, Dauphin County as a whole is about 12% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

On the income-and-resources front, On paper, Cougar Academy has 17 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 17.6:1. The state averages around 15.5:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Around 107% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, often used as a Title I proxy. That share is noticeably above Dauphin County's rate of about 59%.

Across the wider county, census data for Dauphin County shows median household income runs about $76,242, 34% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Dauphin County's 75 public schools (combined enrollment of about 72,718 students), Cougar Academy is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: Pennsylvania STEAM Academy CS, around 0.4 miles off. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Cougar Academy.

Geographically, the school is in an inner-city area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Cougar Academy has increased 20%, going from 249 students in 2018 to 300 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share rose from 29% to 53%. The student-to-teacher ratio tightened from 22.6:1 in 2018 to 17.6:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Contributors range from current parents to recent graduates and teachers.