Total enrollment
13,674
-674 (-5%) vs SY 2017-18
Centre County
Pennsylvania · Public K-12
Combined enrollment across Centre County's 33 public schools is roughly 13,674 students, an average of about 414 per campus. State College Area SD runs the largest share. By grade band, the county runs 23 elementary, 4 middle, and 6 high schools.
7-year change in Centre County
SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25School count
33
0 (0%) vs SY 2017-18
% White
84%
was 87%
% Hispanic
3%
was 3%
% Black
2%
was 2%
% Asian
5%
was 4%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
Residents
158,576
all ages · ACS 5-yr
Schools
33
10 districts
Enrollment
13,674
students · NCES CCD
Median income
$74,291
Above Pennsylvania avg
Free/reduced lunch
30.9%
Below Pennsylvania avg
Elementary
23
6,196 students
Middle
4
2,232 students
High
6
5,246 students
Combined / other
0
schools
LARGEST DISTRICT
State College Area SD
6,799 students · 10 districts in Centre County
County vs. school enrollment demographics
Left bar is the racial makeup of Centre County residents (Census ACS 5-year). Right bar is the enrollment-weighted makeup of public schools in the county (NCES CCD). NCES systematically under-reports Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Native American enrollment for many schools; where the resident share is meaningful but the reported school share is zero, we mark the school bar "not reported".
County residents
School enrollment
Bachelor's+
46.2%
adults 25+
Poverty rate
5.7%
ACS 5-year
Unemployment
4.3%
civilian labor
Median age
34
14.7% under 18
Test scores in Centre County
Latest 2024-25 ELA proficiency, 31 schools ranked. Pennsylvania state average: 51.1%.
Top 5 schools (ELA)
- State College Area HS· 88.4%
- Ferguson Twp El Sch· 81.1%
- Park Forest MS· 79.2%
- Radio Park El Sch· 78.5%
- Centre Hall-Potter El Sch· 75.3%
Lowest 5 schools (ELA)
- Wingate El Sch· 34.3%
- Bald Eagle Area MS/SHS· 43.4%
- Penns Valley Area JSHS· 45.4%
- Bellefonte El Sch· 47.4%
- Liberty-Curtin El Sch· 48.3%
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State College Area HS | State College | High | 08-12 | 2,402 | · |
| Bellefonte Area HS | Bellefonte | High | 09-12 | 850 | · |
| Bald Eagle Area MS/SHS | Wingate | High | 06-12 | 832 | · |
| Park Forest MS | State College | Middle | 06-08 | 822 | · |
| Mount Nittany MS | State College | Middle | 06-08 | 752 | · |
| Penns Valley Area JSHS | Spring Mills | High | 07-12 | 632 | · |
| Bellefonte Area MS | Bellefonte | Middle | 06-08 | 591 | · |
| Philipsburg-Osceola Area HS | Philipsburg | High | 09-12 | 525 | · |
| Radio Park El Sch | State College | Elementary | KG-05 | 424 | · |
| Philipsburg El Sch | Philipsburg | Elementary | KG-05 | 423 | · |
| Park Forest El Sch | State College | Elementary | KG-05 | 419 | · |
| Mount Nittany El Sch | State College | Elementary | KG-05 | 413 | · |
| Wingate El Sch | Wingate | Elementary | KG-05 | 365 | · |
| Spring Creek El Sch | State College | Elementary | KG-05 | 360 | · |
| Gray's Woods El Sch | Port Matilda | Elementary | KG-05 | 356 | · |
| Marion-Walker El Sch | Bellefonte | Elementary | KG-05 | 353 | · |
| Penns Valley Area El and Intrmd Sch | Spring Mills | Elementary | KG-06 | 348 | · |
| Young Scholars of Central PA CS | State College | Elementary | KG-08 | 321 | · |
| Bellefonte El Sch | Bellefonte | Elementary | KG-05 | 318 | · |
| Easterly Parkway El Sch | State College | Elementary | KG-05 | 314 | · |
| Ferguson Twp El Sch | Pine Grove Mills | Elementary | KG-05 | 287 | · |
| Benner El Sch | Bellefonte | Elementary | KG-05 | 252 | · |
| Corl Street El Sch | State College | Elementary | KG-05 | 250 | · |
| Pleasant Gap El Sch | Pleasant Gap | Elementary | KG-05 | 215 | · |
| Centre Hall-Potter El Sch | Centre Hall | Elementary | PK-04 | 205 | · |
| Liberty-Curtin El Sch | Blanchard | Elementary | KG-04 | 151 | · |
| Mountaintop Area El Sch | Snow Shoe | Elementary | KG-05 | 104 | · |
| Port Matilda El Sch | Port Matilda | Elementary | KG-05 | 94 | · |
| Howard El Sch | Howard | Elementary | KG-05 | 87 | · |
| Miles Township El Sch | Rebersburg | Elementary | PK-04 | 86 | · |
| Centre Learning Community CS | State College | Middle | 05-08 | 67 | · |
| Nittany Valley CS | State College | Elementary | KG-06 | 51 | · |
| Central PA Institute of Science and Technology | Pleasant Gap | High | 09-12 | 5 | · |
Cities in Centre County
About Centre County
Centre County is a medium-population Pennsylvania county of about 158,576 residents, home to 33 public schools and roughly 13,674 students.
Looking at the wider area, census numbers show typical household earnings sit around $74,291, about 46% of adults have a bachelor's degree or above, and the federal-poverty share is near 6%.
On the school-mix side, Centre County is built around 23 elementary schools (6,196 students), 4 middle schools (2,232), and 6 high schools (5,246).
The largest single district in Centre County is State College Area SD, which alone enrolls about 6,799 students.
Looking at the last 7 years. Across the same 7-year window, public-school enrollment shrank 5%: 14,348 students in SY 2017-18 versus 13,674 in SY 2024-25.
Within the allk12 community for this area, the community for Centre County discusses open enrollment windows, redistricting talk, and busing logistics. Discussions cut across districts, schools, and grade levels.
Frequently asked questions
Centre County school rankings
DATA · Census ACS 5-year · NCES Common Core of Data