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What advice would you give to incoming students at Parkland HS?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
3,279
High
DISTRICT 831 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PARKLAND SD·NCES 421851002829
Parkland High School
2700 N Cedar Crest Blvd, Allentown, PA 18104 · (610) 351-5600 · Lehigh County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL3,279 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
16.2:1
202 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 14.2:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
34%
1,123 students
DISTRICT 34% · 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 | 864 | 26% |
| Grade 10 | 798 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 802 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 815 | 25% |
Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 62% · 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 Parkland SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
79.9%
PA avg 51.1% . +1.6pp since 2023
Math
60.2%
PA avg 43.0% . +10.9pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 80 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 up about 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 11 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 79.9% | 60.2% |
| 2023-24 | 78.3% | 49.3% |
% 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
65.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
62.9%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+2.4pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 65% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 63% 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 Parkland High School
Parkland High School's state test result (65.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parkland High School this school | 3,279 | 34.2% | 65.3% |
| Manheim Twp High School Lancaster | 1,953 | 32.5% | 67.8% |
| Central Dauphin SHS Harrisburg | 1,966 | 36.5% | 52.7% |
| Souderton Area High School Souderton | 2,121 | 29.3% | 69.8% |
| Spring-Ford SHS 9-12 Center Royersford | 2,629 | 22.0% | 74.8% |
| Pennsbury High School Fairless Hills | 2,847 | 30.1% | 62.7% |
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 Parkland High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Lehigh County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.3% | #104 of 576 | #3 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 60.2% | #106 of 626 ▲ 74 | #2 of 11 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 79.9% | #68 of 626 ▲ 24 | #1 of 11 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 3,279 | #5 of 713 | #1 of 12 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.2:1 | #488 of 601 | #8 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.7% | #71 of 604 | #3 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 34.2% | #506 of 619 | #8 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +2.0% | #189 of 221 | #7 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
3,279
+92 (+3%) vs 2020
+157% since 1990-91, when it was 1,276
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
was 17.4:1
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 | 3,279 | 202.2 | 16.2:1 | 34% (1,123) |
| 2023-24 | 3,242 | 212.1 | 15.3:1 | 35% (1,123) |
| 2022-23 | 3,220 | 216.9 | 14.8:1 | 25% (818) |
| 2020-21 | 3,187 | 183 | 17.4:1 | 21% (657) |
| 2017-18 | 3,216 | 188.9 | 17.0:1 | 19% (624) |
| 2015-16 | 3,163 | 163 | 19.4:1 | 22% (710) |
| 2010-11 | 3,155 | 175 | 18.0:1 | 13% (412) |
| 2000-01 | 2,515 | 125 | 20.1:1 | 3% (69) |
| 1990-91 | 1,276 | 76 | 16.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Parkland High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 2% (3,216 to 3,279); teachers up 7% (188.9 to 202.2).
About Parkland High School
Parkland High School sits in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and is classified as a high school. The student body numbers 3,279 students, from grades 9 through 12. Average enrollment for high schools in Pennsylvania is about 738, so this school runs 344% above that.
Parkland SD serves 9,975 students across 12 schools.
By race and ethnicity, Parkland High School is 56% White. The rest of enrollment is 20% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 6% Black, and 5% multiracial. The chance that two students picked at random at Parkland High School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 63%.
The school has about 16.2 students per teacher and 202.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average ratio among high schools in Pennsylvania is 12.8:1, lower than at this school. About 34% of enrolled students meet the income rules for free or reduced-price lunch. That is 36 points below the 70% average for public schools in Lehigh County.
Measured against Pennsylvania public high schools, Parkland High School receives an A-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 62.9% at Parkland High School; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 65.3%.
Census Bureau estimates for Lehigh County show that median household income is about $80,079, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 34%, and about 8% of people live in poverty. A total of 83 public schools operate in Lehigh County, serving about 56,984 students.
The closest other public school is Orefield Middle School, about 1.9 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Nearby schools average 59.6% on proficiency, and Parkland High School is above that at 65.3%.
Federal records code the school's setting as Rural: Fringe.
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 3%, from 3,187 to 3,279. The ratio was 17.4:1 in 2020-21 and 16.2:1 in 2024-25.
Conversations here can range across sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
Lehigh County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
378,792
Census ACS
Median income
$80,079
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
34%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
83
56,984 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Parkland SD
- Springhouse Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,329 students
- Orefield Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,034 students
- Parkway Manor SchoolElementary · 569 students
- Kernsville SchoolElementary · 512 students
- Kratzer SchoolElementary · 510 students
- Cetronia SchoolElementary · 496 students
Other schools in Allentown
- William Allen High SchoolHigh · 3,074 students
- Louis E Dieruff High SchoolHigh · 1,914 students
- Executive Education Academy CSCombined · 1,497 students
- Springhouse Middle SchoolMiddle · 1,329 students
- Lincoln Leadership Academy CSCombined · 973 students
- South Mountain Middle SchoolMiddle · 972 students
Other Parkland High schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named Parkland High. Parkland High School is the largest of the 3.
- Parkland HighWinston Salem, NC · 1,569 students
- Parkland High SchoolEL PASO, TX · 1,565 students
Nearby schools
- Orefield Middle School1.9 mi · 1,034
- Kratzer School2.0 mi · 510
- Ironton School2.1 mi · 417
- Springhouse Middle School2.2 mi · 1,329
- Whitehall High School2.3 mi · 1,462
- Zephyr Elementary School2.4 mi · 598
Frequently asked questions
About Parkland High SchoolHow many students attend Parkland High School?
Parkland High School enrolls approximately 3,279 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Parkland High School serve?
Parkland High School serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Parkland High School have?
Parkland High School employs 202 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 16.2:1.
What is the student diversity at Parkland High School?
Student demographics at Parkland High School are roughly 56% White, 20% Hispanic, 6% Black, 13% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is Parkland High School in?
Parkland High School is part of Parkland SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.