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What do you wish you knew before starting at Hershey MS?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
742
Middle
DISTRICT 624 · STATE 594
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·DERRY TOWNSHIP SD·NCES 420759006678
Hershey Middle School
500 Homestead Rd, Hershey, PA 17033 · (717) 531-2222 · Dauphin County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL742 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
11.5:1
65 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.4:1 · STATE 13.2:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
30%
224 students
DISTRICT 28% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 237 | 32% |
| Grade 7 | 260 | 35% |
| Grade 8 | 245 | 33% |
Student demographics
57%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
Students here typically continue to
Hershey Middle School→Hershey High School
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
80.8%
PA avg 51.1% . -0.8pp since 2023
Math
59.8%
PA avg 43.0% . +2.8pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 81 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 60 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores have held steady since 2023, while math scores are up about 3 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 80.8% | 59.8% |
| 2023-24 | 81.6% | 57.0% |
% 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
71.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
64.7%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+6.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 71% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 65% 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 Middle School
Hershey Middle School's state test result (71.1% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Middle School this school | 742 | 30.2% | 71.1% |
| Spring-Ford MS 7th Grade Center Royersford | 666 | 22.1% | 69.9% |
| Skyview Upper Elementary School Eagleville | 695 | 20.4% | 62.5% |
| J R Fugett Middle School West Chester | 930 | 22.4% | 53.8% |
| Arcola Intrmd School Eagleville | 692 | 20.8% | 58.1% |
| Spring-Ford MS 8th Grade Center Royersford | 672 | 16.2% | 63.9% |
Matched among Pennsylvania middle 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 Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Dauphin County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 71.1% | #33 of 479 | #1 of 12 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 59.8% | #60 of 513 ▲ 1 | #1 of 14 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 80.8% | #16 of 513 ▲ 2 | #1 of 14 no change |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 742 | #150 of 522 | #5 of 14 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.5:1 | #90 of 486 | #1 of 14 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 57.3% | #103 of 486 | #8 of 14 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 30.2% | #410 of 510 | #13 of 14 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.0% | #141 of 332 | #4 of 6 |
Ranked against other public middle 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
742
-78 (-10%) vs 2020
+33% since 1990-91, when it was 558
Student : Teacher
11.5:1
was 12.1:1
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 | 742 | 64.5 | 11.5:1 | 30% (224) |
| 2023-24 | 741 | 65.5 | 11.3:1 | 30% (224) |
| 2022-23 | 731 | 65.7 | 11.1:1 | 26% (192) |
| 2020-21 | 820 | 68 | 12.1:1 | 22% (184) |
| 2017-18 | 843 | 70.1 | 12.0:1 | 22% (185) |
| 2015-16 | 871 | 68 | 12.8:1 | 20% (171) |
| 2010-11 | 870 | 68 | 12.8:1 | 15% (134) |
| 2000-01 | 858 | 60 | 14.3:1 | 6% (50) |
| 1990-91 | 558 | 47 | 11.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Hershey Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 12% (843 to 742); teachers down 8% (70.1 to 64.5).
About Hershey Middle School
Hershey Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Derry Township SD, located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The school runs grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 742 students. Middle schools in Pennsylvania have about 594 students on average; enrollment here is 25% higher.
Derry Township SD is responsible for 5 schools, Hershey Middle School included, with 3,118 students in all.
The share of White students at Hershey Middle School is 62%, a majority. The school is also 17% Asian, 11% Hispanic, 6% Black, and 4% multiracial. Census estimates put Dauphin County at about 63% White, close to the school's figure. A diversity index of 57% means there is a 57% chance two randomly chosen students at Hershey Middle School are from different groups.
Teacher count: 64.5 full-time equivalents. Student-to-teacher ratio: 11.5:1. Across middle schools in Pennsylvania, the average ratio is 13.2:1. Roughly 30% of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The 59% average for public schools in Dauphin County is 29 points higher.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for Hershey Middle School is 64.7%, and its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 71.1%.
In Dauphin County, home to about 289,593 people, the median household earns about $76,242 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 34% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 9%. Public schools in Dauphin County number 75, with about 72,718 students.
Hershey Early Childhood Center sits about 0.2 miles from Hershey Middle School. Around the school, at least 8 other public schools are within five miles. Hershey Middle School places 7th of 8 on proficiency among the closest schools that report scores.
Hershey Middle School falls in the Suburb: Large locale category, used for schools in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more.
Enrollment was 742 in 2024-25. In 2020-21, it was 820.
The Hershey Middle School discussion page is a place for open houses, carpools, and field trips. You can also rate the school on this page.
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 High SchoolHigh · 1,050 students
- Hershey Intrmd Elementary SchoolElementary · 479 students
- Hershey Primary Elementary SchoolElementary · 427 students
- Hershey Early Childhood CenterElementary · 420 students
Other schools in Hershey
- Hershey High SchoolHigh · 1,050 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
Nearby schools
- Hershey Early Childhood Center0.2 mi · 420
- Hershey Intrmd Elementary School0.2 mi · 479
- Hershey Primary Elementary School0.2 mi · 427
- Hershey High School0.2 mi · 1,050
- South Hanover Elementary School2.4 mi · 371
- Lingle Avenue Elementary School2.6 mi · 547
Frequently asked questions
About Hershey Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Hershey Middle School?
Hershey Middle School enrolls approximately 742 students in grades 06-08.
Is Hershey Middle School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Hershey Middle School is a middle school covering grades 06-08.
How many students per teacher at Hershey Middle School?
Approximately 11.5:1 students per teacher at Hershey Middle School.
What is the student diversity at Hershey Middle School?
Student demographics at Hershey Middle School are roughly 62% White, 11% Hispanic, 6% Black, 17% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Hershey Middle School?
Hershey Middle School is overseen by Derry Township SD in Dauphin County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.