Total enrollment
8,176
+2,925 (+56%) vs SY 2020-21
10 schools in Wilkes-Barre Area SD
Pennsylvania · 8,277 students · 3 cities
Of the public K-12 schools operating across Pennsylvania, 10 sit inside Wilkes-Barre Area SD, collectively enrolling about 8,277 students (6 elementary, 2 middle, and 2 high).
4-year change in Wilkes-Barre Area SD
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
9
+1 (+13%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Wilkes-Barre Area SD ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Pennsylvania | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.3% | #330 of 356 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 8,277 | #25 of 479 | #1,136 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 10 | #38 of 479 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 19.7:1 | #477 of 478 | #8,307 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 97.7% | #54 of 398 | #453 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.7% | #45 of 378 | #1,309 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Wilkes-Barre Area SD
State test results across the district's 8 scored schools run from Solomon/Plains Elementary School at 46.2% proficient to G A R Middle School at 19.8%, a gap of 26.4 points. That is the 57th widest gap among 223 Pennsylvania districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 7 district schools that reported both years went from 5,227 to 5,514 students (up 5%) and from 334 to 304 full-time teachers (down 9%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
| Name | City | Level | Grades | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkes-Barre Area HS | Plains | High | 09-12 | 2,569 |
| G A R MS | Wilkes-Barre | Middle | 06-08 | 1,101 |
| Dr David W Kistler El Sch | Wilkes Barre | Elementary | KG-05 | 961 |
| Heights/Murray El Sch | Wilkes Barre | Elementary | KG-05 | 838 |
| Solomon/Plains MS | Plains | Middle | 06-08 | 758 |
| Solomon/Plains El Sch | Plains | Elementary | KG-05 | 718 |
| Daniel J Flood El Sch | Wilkes Barre | Elementary | KG-05 | 616 |
| Dodson El Sch | Wilkes Barre | Elementary | KG-05 | 522 |
| Wolfpack Early Learning Academy | Wilkes-Barre | Elementary | PK-PK | 101 |
| Wilkes-Barre Area SD STEM Academy | Plains | High | 09-12 | 93 |
About Wilkes-Barre Area SD
Across 10 schools, Wilkes-Barre Area SD hosts about 8,277 students in Pennsylvania. By footprint it is a thinly populated district.
In terms of grade levels, Wilkes-Barre Area SD is built around 6 elementary, 2 middle, and 2 high schools.
On a per-school basis, Wilkes-Barre Area SD runs about 828 students per school, 46% above the state mean of roughly 569.
Over the past 4-year window. Total public-school enrollment in Wilkes-Barre Area SD has rose 56% since SY 2020-21, moving from about 5,251 students to 8,176. Over that span, Wilkes-Barre Area SD gained 1 school, going from 8 to 9.
On this page, the community for Wilkes-Barre Area SD discusses comparison threads between local schools and program reviews. Parents, students, and educators in the area can post or comment.