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How has Dr David W Kistler El Sch changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
961
Elementary
DISTRICT 626 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·WILKES-BARRE AREA SD·NCES 422630006924
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School
301 Old River Rd, Wilkes Barre, PA 18702 · (570) 826-7230 · Luzerne County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL961 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 36% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools
- CTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
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
17.4:1
55 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.5:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
101%
970 students
DISTRICT 97% · 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 177 | 18% |
| Grade 1 | 167 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 194 | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 166 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 124 | 13% |
| Grade 5 | 133 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (177) is 33% larger than its 5th grade class (133).
Student demographics
57%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 63% · 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
36.8%
PA avg 51.1% . -1.1pp since 2023
Math
36.2%
PA avg 43.0% . +6.8pp 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 36 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 1 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 7 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 36.8% | 36.2% |
| 2023-24 | 37.9% | 29.4% |
% 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
39.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
34.3%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+5.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 39% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 34% 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 Dr David W Kistler Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Luzerne County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 39.4% | #1,073 of 1,396 | #19 of 27 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 36.2% | #1,061 of 1,511 ▲ 69 | #15 of 27 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.8% | #1,083 of 1,511 ▲ 66 | #18 of 27 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 961 | #37 of 1,638 | #5 of 38 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 17.4:1 | #1,482 of 1,528 | #27 of 33 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 57.4% | #383 of 1,531 | #9 of 33 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 101% | #262 of 1,600 | #4 of 37 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -0.2% | #1,044 of 1,045 | #13 of 13 |
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
961
+70 (+8%) vs 2020
-2% since 1990-91, when it was 979
Student : Teacher
17.4:1
was 15.1:1
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 | 961 | 55.3 | 17.4:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 970 | 55.2 | 17.6:1 | 100% (970) |
| 2022-23 | 916 | 49.2 | 18.6:1 | 100% (916) |
| 2020-21 | 891 | 59 | 15.1:1 | 100% (888) |
| 2017-18 | 963 | 60.7 | 15.9:1 | 100% (963) |
| 2015-16 | 953 | 58 | 16.4:1 | 100% (953) |
| 2010-11 | 967 | 60 | 16.1:1 | 73% (707) |
| 2000-01 | 866 | 49 | 17.7:1 | 40% (344) |
| 1990-91 | 979 | 48 | 20.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dr David W Kistler Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (963 to 961); teachers down 9% (60.7 to 55.3).
About Dr David W Kistler Elementary School
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School is a public large elementary school in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Students in kindergarten through 5 attend, and enrollment is 961 students. The typical figure for elementary schools in Pennsylvania is about 443 students.
The district for Dr David W Kistler Elementary School is Wilkes-Barre Area SD, with 10 schools and 8,277 students.
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School is 61% Hispanic by enrollment. Other students are 16% Black, 13% White, and 9% multiracial. By comparison, Luzerne County residents are about 17% Hispanic. The school's diversity index is 57%, meaning two students picked at random have a 57% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Dividing enrollment by its 55.3 full-time-equivalent teachers gives a ratio of about 17.4:1. That is higher than the 13.1:1 average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania.
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School is graded C+ by allk12, scoring above 36% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School sits between the top and bottom 10% of Pennsylvania schools on BeatsExpectations, with an actual average proficiency rate on state tests of 39.4% and a predicted 34.3%.
County data help place the school in context: in Luzerne County, the median household income is $63,691, roughly 25% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 11% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Luzerne County is home to 65 public schools and about 45,209 public school students.
The nearest other public school, Lee Park Elementary School, is about 0.8 miles away. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Ranked by average proficiency, Dr David W Kistler Elementary School places 2nd out of 6 schools in its immediate area.
NCES assigns Dr David W Kistler Elementary School the locale City: Small, meaning inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Enrollment has grown by 70 students since 2020-21, to 961. By 2024-25, the school had 17.4 students per teacher, compared with 15.1 in 2020-21.
Discussion on this page can cover science fairs, picture day, and bus routes. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Luzerne County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
327,675
Census ACS
Median income
$63,691
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
11%
Below federal line
Schools in county
65
45,209 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Wilkes-Barre Area SD
- Wilkes-Barre Area High SchoolHigh · 2,569 students
- G A R Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,101 students
- Heights/Murray Elementary SchoolElementary · 838 students
- Solomon/Plains Middle SchoolMiddle · 758 students
- Solomon/Plains Elementary SchoolElementary · 718 students
- Daniel J Flood Elementary SchoolElementary · 616 students
Other schools in Wilkes Barre
- Heights/Murray Elementary SchoolElementary · 838 students
- Daniel J Flood Elementary SchoolElementary · 616 students
- Dodson Elementary SchoolElementary · 522 students
Nearby schools
- Lee Park Elementary School0.8 mi · 322
- Wolfpack Early Learning Academy1.0 mi · 101
- Lyndwood Elementary School1.1 mi · 268
- Hanover Area Memorial Elementary School1.1 mi · 319
- G A R Middle School1.5 mi · 1,101
- Third Avenue Elementary School1.7 mi · 97
Frequently asked questions
About Dr David W Kistler Elementary SchoolHow large is Dr David W Kistler Elementary School?
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School enrolls approximately 961 students in grades KG-05.
What age range does Dr David W Kistler Elementary School serve?
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School serves students from grade KG through grade 05.
How many students per teacher at Dr David W Kistler Elementary School?
Approximately 17.4:1 students per teacher at Dr David W Kistler Elementary School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Dr David W Kistler Elementary School?
At Dr David W Kistler Elementary School, the student body is approximately 13% White, 61% Hispanic, 16% Black, 1% Asian, 9% Two or more.
Is Dr David W Kistler Elementary School public or private?
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Wilkes-Barre Area SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.