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What do you wish you knew before starting at Hershey HS?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,050
High
DISTRICT 624 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DERRY TOWNSHIP SD·NCES 420759004801
Hershey High School
550 Homestead Rd, Hershey, PA 17033 · (717) 531-2244 · Dauphin County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL1,050 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
12.3:1
86 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.4:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
25%
262 students
DISTRICT 28% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 251 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 271 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 277 | 26% |
| Grade 12 | 251 | 24% |
Student demographics
52%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 55% · 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
School pathway
Feeds from
Based on grade levels within Derry Township SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
86.6%
PA avg 51.1% . -3.1pp since 2023
Math
73.8%
PA avg 43.0% . +12.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 87 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 74 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 3 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 13 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 86.6% | 73.8% |
| 2023-24 | 89.7% | 61.3% |
% 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
78.0%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
66.9%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+11.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 78% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 67% 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 →
Schools most like Hershey High School
Hershey High School's state test result (78.0% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey High School this school | 1,050 | 25.0% | 78.0% |
| Methacton High School Eagleville | 1,499 | 22.1% | 65.1% |
| Radnor SHS Radnor | 1,146 | 16.0% | 84.5% |
| Harriton SHS Rosemont | 1,239 | 15.6% | 86.0% |
| Wissahickon SHS Ambler | 1,480 | 29.0% | 74.3% |
| Marple Newtown SHS Newtown Square | 1,266 | 27.5% | 60.9% |
Matched among Pennsylvania high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Hershey High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Dauphin County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 78.0% | #34 of 576 | #1 of 14 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 73.8% | #31 of 626 ▲ 52 | #1 of 15 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 86.6% | #30 of 626 ▼ 8 | #1 of 15 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,050 | #161 of 713 | #6 of 16 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.3:1 | #153 of 601 | #4 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.4% | #129 of 604 | #9 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 25.0% | #566 of 619 | #13 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -10.6% | #168 of 373 | #4 of 7 |
Ranked against other public high 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
1,050
-159 (-13%) vs 2020
+56% since 1990-91, when it was 675
Student : Teacher
12.3:1
was 14.6:1
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 | 1,050 | 85.5 | 12.3:1 | 25% (262) |
| 2023-24 | 1,079 | 83 | 13.0:1 | 24% (262) |
| 2022-23 | 1,093 | 81.9 | 13.3:1 | 22% (240) |
| 2020-21 | 1,209 | 83 | 14.6:1 | 22% (264) |
| 2017-18 | 1,174 | 82.5 | 14.2:1 | N/A |
| 2015-16 | 1,126 | 83 | 13.6:1 | 16% (175) |
| 2010-11 | 1,147 | 79 | 14.5:1 | 10% (118) |
| 2000-01 | 1,031 | 61 | 16.9:1 | 2% (20) |
| 1990-91 | 675 | 58 | 11.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Hershey High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 11% (1,174 to 1,050); teachers up 4% (82.5 to 85.5).
About Hershey High School
Hershey High School is listed by the National Center for Education Statistics as a high school in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The school had 1,050 students in grades 9 through 12 in 2024-25. An average school in this group (high schools in Pennsylvania) has about 738 students.
In Derry Township SD, 5 schools enroll a combined 3,118 students.
White students account for 66% of enrollment at Hershey High School. Enrollment also includes 15% Asian, 9% Hispanic, 5% Black, and 4% multiracial. County-wide, about 63% of residents are White. By the diversity index, Hershey High School comes in at 52%.
Hershey High School operates with 85.5 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 12.3:1. High schools in Pennsylvania have a similar average ratio of 12.8:1. About 25% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits. The gap from the 59% average for public schools in Dauphin County is 34 points.
Hershey High School's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (78.0%) and its predicted rate (66.9%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Pennsylvania schools.
Census Bureau estimates for Dauphin County show that median household income is about $76,242, roughly 34% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Hershey High School is one of 75 public schools in Dauphin County, which together enroll about 72,718 students.
The closest other public school is Hershey Middle School, about 0.2 miles away. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. In a group of 8 nearby schools with scores, Hershey High School ranks 3rd on average proficiency.
Its location is classified as Suburb: Large by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Enrollment was 1,209 in 2020-21 and 1,050 in 2024-25, a decrease of 159 students. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 14.6:1 in 2020-21 to 12.3:1 in 2024-25.
Threads on this page can be about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Dauphin County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
289,593
Census ACS
Median income
$76,242
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
9%
Below federal line
Schools in county
75
72,718 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Derry Township SD
- Hershey Middle SchoolMiddle · 742 students
- Hershey Intrmd Elementary SchoolElementary · 479 students
- Hershey Primary Elementary SchoolElementary · 427 students
- Hershey Early Childhood CenterElementary · 420 students
Other schools in Hershey
- Hershey Middle SchoolMiddle · 742 students
- Hershey Intrmd Elementary SchoolElementary · 479 students
- Hershey Primary Elementary SchoolElementary · 427 students
- Hershey Early Childhood CenterElementary · 420 students
- South Hanover Elementary SchoolElementary · 371 students
Other Hershey High schools
One other US public school is named Hershey High. Hershey High School is the largest of the 2.
- HERSHEY HIGH SCHOOLHERSHEY, NE · 239 students
Nearby schools
- Hershey Middle School0.2 mi · 742
- Hershey Early Childhood Center0.3 mi · 420
- Hershey Intrmd Elementary School0.4 mi · 479
- Hershey Primary Elementary School0.4 mi · 427
- South Hanover Elementary School2.5 mi · 371
- Lingle Avenue Elementary School2.6 mi · 547
Frequently asked questions
About Hershey High SchoolHow many students attend Hershey High School?
Hershey High School enrolls approximately 1,050 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Hershey High School serve?
Hershey High School serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Hershey High School have?
Hershey High School employs 86 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.3:1.
How diverse is Hershey High School?
Hershey High School reports a student body of 66% White, 9% Hispanic, 5% Black, 15% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Hershey High School public or private?
Hershey High School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Derry Township SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.