Heights/Murray El Sch

Heights/Murray El Sch is a well-populated elementary-level community in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, overseen by Wilkes-Barre Area SD. The school teaches 838 students in grades K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 443 students per school, that is 89% above typical.

Heights/Murray El Sch is one of 10 schools operated by Wilkes-Barre Area SD, a district that instructs 8,277 students overall.

In terms of who attends, Heights/Murray El Sch lists that 60% of the student body identifies as Hispanic. Other groups include 18% Black, 11% White, 9% multiracial. By comparison, Luzerne County as a whole is about 17% Hispanic, so the school skews meaningfully more Hispanic than its surroundings.

Looking at school resources, Heights/Murray El Sch logs 50 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 16.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 13.1:1, putting Heights/Murray El Sch higher than the state norm the norm. Around 101% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Luzerne County (around 85%), the school's rate is north of typical.

On a residual basis (actual vs predicted given the student mix), Heights/Murray El Sch tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 34.5% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 31.5%.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Luzerne County) records that median household earnings sit near $63,691, roughly 25% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 11%. Heights/Murray El Sch is one of 65 public schools in Luzerne County (combined enrollment of about 45,209 students).

G A R MS is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.5 miles from this campus. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Heights/Murray El Sch comes 4th of 7 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 31.0%.

Heights/Murray El Sch operates from a high-density location.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Heights/Murray El Sch has changed only slightly, going from 822 students in 2018 to 838 in 2025. Over the same period, the Hispanic share ticked up from 42% to 60%.

Within the allk12 community for this school, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around fundraisers, lost-and-found posts, and report-card season. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.