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What's the most underrated thing about North Penn SHS that outsiders don't know?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
3,165
High
DISTRICT 754 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·NORTH PENN SD·NCES 421728005345
North Penn SHS
1340 S Valley Forge Rd, Lansdale, PA 19446 · (215) 368-9800 · Montgomery County
GRADES 10–12HIGH21-SUBURBREGULAR SCHOOL3,165 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 79% of Pennsylvania public high schools
- A-Test 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 high schools
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
220 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.4:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
36%
1,145 students
DISTRICT 36% · 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 10 | 1,012 | 32% |
| Grade 11 | 1,050 | 33% |
| Grade 12 | 1,103 | 35% |
Student demographics
65%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 66% · 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
Based on grade levels within North Penn SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
73.9%
PA avg 51.1% . -1.9pp since 2023
Math
59.6%
PA avg 43.0% . +9.7pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 74 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 are down about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 10 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 73.9% | 59.6% |
| 2023-24 | 75.8% | 49.9% |
% 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
64.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.1%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.5pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 65% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 62% 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 North Penn SHS
North Penn SHS's state test result (64.6% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Penn SHS this school | 3,165 | 36.2% | 64.6% |
| Cumberland Valley High School Mechanicsburg | 3,163 | 28.2% | 75.2% |
| Wissahickon SHS Ambler | 1,480 | 29.0% | 74.3% |
| Downingtown HS East Campus Exton | 1,708 | 20.3% | 71.5% |
| Parkland High School Allentown | 3,279 | 34.2% | 65.3% |
| Spring-Ford SHS 9-12 Center Royersford | 2,629 | 22.0% | 74.8% |
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 North Penn SHS ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Montgomery County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 64.6% | #114 of 576 | #11 of 23 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 59.6% | #115 of 626 ▲ 56 | #13 of 23 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 73.9% | #117 of 626 ▲ 3 | #11 of 23 ▼ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 3,165 | #6 of 713 | #1 of 28 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.4:1 | #354 of 601 | #16 of 22 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 65.4% | #51 of 604 | #3 of 22 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 36.2% | #493 of 619 | #9 of 23 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +1.4% | #196 of 221 | #16 of 16 |
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
3,165
+145 (+5%) vs 2020
+48% since 1990-91, when it was 2,135
Student : Teacher
14.4:1
was 14.4:1
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 | 3,165 | 220.3 | 14.4:1 | 36% (1,145) |
| 2023-24 | 3,210 | 220.4 | 14.6:1 | 36% (1,145) |
| 2022-23 | 3,184 | 214.6 | 14.8:1 | 34% (1,087) |
| 2020-21 | 3,020 | 210 | 14.4:1 | 30% (894) |
| 2017-18 | 3,120 | 206.8 | 15.1:1 | 28% (871) |
| 2015-16 | 2,985 | 204 | 14.6:1 | 28% (844) |
| 2010-11 | 3,076 | 227 | 13.6:1 | 19% (594) |
| 2000-01 | 3,013 | 173 | 17.4:1 | 10% (288) |
| 1990-91 | 2,135 | 157 | 13.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for North Penn SHS.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (3,120 to 3,165); teachers up 7% (206.8 to 220.3).
About North Penn SHS
North Penn SHS is a high-enrollment high school in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, under North Penn SD. The latest federal count shows 3,165 students in grades 10 through 12. Against the 738-student average for high schools in Pennsylvania, enrollment here is 329% higher.
The district for North Penn SHS is North Penn SD, with 17 schools and 12,817 students.
By race and ethnicity, North Penn SHS is 53% White. The rest of enrollment is 20% Asian, 11% Black, 9% Hispanic, and 7% multiracial. Census estimates put the White share of Montgomery County's population at about 73%. North Penn SHS has a diversity index of 65%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
The school reported 220.3 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 14.4:1. For comparison, high schools in Pennsylvania average 12.8:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 36%.
The allk12 Grade for North Penn SHS is A-. Compared with Pennsylvania public high schools, the school scored higher than 79% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
Compared with Pennsylvania schools that have similar shares of low-income students, North Penn SHS's results are 2.5 points above predicted: 64.6% against 62.1%.
Census Bureau estimates for Montgomery County show that median household income is about $113,915, roughly 53% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 4% of residents live below the federal poverty line. North Penn SHS is one of 160 public schools in Montgomery County, which together enroll about 115,302 students.
Nearby, North Montco Technical Career Center is about 0.2 miles away. North Penn SHS is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles. North Penn SHS's average proficiency of 64.6% compares with 63.4% for its nearest scored neighbors.
North Penn SHS is in a suburban area outside a principal city, within an urbanized area with a population of 250,000 or more, a location NCES labels Suburb: Large.
North Penn SHS saw enrollment rise 5% between 2020-21 and 2024-25.
To ask about school safety, transportation, and start times, start a discussion on this page. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Montgomery County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
867,573
Census ACS
Median income
$113,915
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
53%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
160
115,302 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in North Penn SD
- Penndale Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,171 students
- Pennfield Middle SchoolMiddle · 865 students
- Pennbrook Middle SchoolMiddle · 767 students
- Gwyn-Nor Elementary SchoolElementary · 663 students
- Knapp Elementary SchoolElementary · 633 students
- Montgomery Elementary SchoolElementary · 611 students
Other schools in Lansdale
- Penndale Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,171 students
- Knapp Elementary SchoolElementary · 633 students
- Gwynedd Square Elementary SchoolElementary · 610 students
- Walton Farm Elementary SchoolElementary · 566 students
- Oak Park Elementary SchoolElementary · 526 students
- Bridle Path Elementary SchoolElementary · 508 students
Nearby schools
- North Montco Technical Career Center0.2 mi · 32
- Gwynedd Square Elementary School0.9 mi · 610
- Inglewood Elementary School1.1 mi · 408
- York Avenue Elementary School1.2 mi · 291
- Walton Farm Elementary School1.4 mi · 566
- General Nash Elementary School1.7 mi · 465
Frequently asked questions
About North Penn SHSHow many students attend North Penn SHS?
North Penn SHS enrolls approximately 3,165 students in grades 10-12.
What age range does North Penn SHS serve?
North Penn SHS serves students from grade 10 through grade 12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at North Penn SHS?
The student-to-teacher ratio at North Penn SHS is approximately 14.4:1 (220 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at North Penn SHS?
At North Penn SHS, the student body is approximately 53% White, 9% Hispanic, 11% Black, 20% Asian, 7% Two or more.
Who oversees North Penn SHS?
North Penn SHS is overseen by North Penn SD in Montgomery County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.