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What's something Pen Argyl Area HS does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
475
High
DISTRICT 473 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PEN ARGYL AREA SD·NCES 421857006439
Pen Argyl Area High School
501 W Laurel Ave, Pen Argyl, PA 18072 · (610) 863-1293 · Northampton County
GRADES 09–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL475 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 43% of Pennsylvania public high schools
- B-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats 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
13.4:1
36 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
49%
231 students
DISTRICT 51% · 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 | 116 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 102 | 21% |
| Grade 11 | 127 | 27% |
| Grade 12 | 130 | 27% |
Student demographics
34%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 32% · 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 Pen Argyl Area SD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
47.9%
PA avg 51.1% . -14.0pp since 2023
Math
55.2%
PA avg 43.0% . +15.6pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 48 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 55 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 14 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 16 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 47.9% | 55.2% |
| 2023-24 | 61.9% | 39.6% |
% 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
50.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
56.8%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 50% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 57% 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 Pen Argyl Area High School
Pen Argyl Area High School's state test result (50.5% proficient) is higher than 1 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pen Argyl Area High School this school | 475 | 48.6% | 50.5% |
| Western Wayne High School Lake Ariel | 562 | 49.1% | 56.8% |
| Elk Lake JSHS Springville | 490 | 50.0% | 40.1% |
| Lehighton Area High School Lehighton | 630 | 51.7% | 60.5% |
| Milton High School Milton | 608 | 52.5% | 57.5% |
| Bloomsburg Area High School Bloomsburg | 362 | 45.3% | 56.4% |
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 Pen Argyl Area High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Northampton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 50.5% | #293 of 576 | #6 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.2% | #153 of 626 ▲ 139 | #3 of 11 ▲ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.9% | #441 of 626 ▼ 142 | #9 of 11 ▼ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 475 | #428 of 713 | #10 of 13 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.4:1 | #260 of 601 | #3 of 11 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 33.7% | #271 of 604 | #10 of 11 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 48.6% | #371 of 619 | #7 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -12.8% | #129 of 373 | #2 of 8 |
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
475
-32 (-6%) vs 2020
+34% since 1990-91, when it was 354
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 13.7:1
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 | 475 | 35.6 | 13.4:1 | 49% (231) |
| 2023-24 | 466 | 37.5 | 12.4:1 | 50% (231) |
| 2022-23 | 502 | 40.2 | 12.5:1 | 35% (175) |
| 2020-21 | 507 | 37 | 13.7:1 | 28% (144) |
| 2017-18 | 545 | 37.6 | 14.5:1 | 27% (145) |
| 2015-16 | 528 | 38 | 13.9:1 | 33% (176) |
| 2010-11 | 597 | 41 | 14.6:1 | 18% (110) |
| 2000-01 | 573 | 37 | 15.5:1 | 9% (53) |
| 1990-91 | 354 | 28 | 12.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Pen Argyl Area High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 13% (545 to 475); teachers down 5% (37.6 to 35.6).
About Pen Argyl Area High School
A low-enrollment high school in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, Pen Argyl Area High School is part of Pen Argyl Area SD. It educates 475 students in grades 9 through 12. The school's enrollment is 36% smaller than the 738 average for high schools in Pennsylvania.
The district, Pen Argyl Area SD, operates 3 schools serving 1,419 students.
White students are the large majority at Pen Argyl Area High School, with 81% of enrollment. Enrollment also includes 10% Hispanic, 4% multiracial, and 4% Black. The chance that two students picked at random at Pen Argyl Area High School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 34%.
At Pen Argyl Area High School, 35.6 full-time-equivalent teachers work with students, a ratio of about 13.4:1. High schools in Pennsylvania average about 12.8:1, a similar figure. Roughly 49% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. That is lower than the 61% average for public schools in Northampton County.
Pen Argyl Area High School is graded C+ by allk12, scoring above 43% of Pennsylvania public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
When test results are adjusted for free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, Pen Argyl Area High School is 6.3 points below its prediction. Actual: 50.5%. Predicted: 56.8%.
Recent Census Bureau figures for Northampton County show that median household income is about $89,184, roughly 35% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 6% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Federal data list 60 public schools in Northampton County, with a combined enrollment of about 38,316.
The school nearest to Pen Argyl Area High School is Wind Gap Middle School, at a distance of about 2.5 miles. Within five miles of Pen Argyl Area High School, there are 3 other public schools. Pen Argyl Area High School is 6th of 8 nearby schools by average proficiency rate.
Locale: Rural: Fringe. In NCES terms, the school is in rural territory close to an urban area.
Enrollment was 507 in 2020-21 and 475 in 2024-25, a decrease of 32 students.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week at Pen Argyl Area High School. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Northampton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
318,580
Census ACS
Median income
$89,184
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
60
38,316 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pen Argyl Area SD
- Wind Gap Middle SchoolMiddle · 510 students
- Plainfield Elementary SchoolElementary · 434 students
Nearby schools
- Wind Gap Middle School2.5 mi · 510
- Washington Elementary School3.2 mi · 375
- Hamilton Twp Elementary School4.2 mi · 305
- Plainfield Elementary School5.7 mi · 434
- Bangor Area Middle School5.8 mi · 421
- Five Points Elementary School5.8 mi · 580
Frequently asked questions
About Pen Argyl Area High SchoolHow many students attend Pen Argyl Area High School?
Pen Argyl Area High School enrolls approximately 475 students in grades 09-12.
What age range does Pen Argyl Area High School serve?
Pen Argyl Area High School serves students from grade 09 through grade 12.
How many students per teacher at Pen Argyl Area High School?
Approximately 13.4:1 students per teacher at Pen Argyl Area High School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Pen Argyl Area High School?
At Pen Argyl Area High School, the student body is approximately 81% White, 10% Hispanic, 4% Black, 1% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Pen Argyl Area High School?
Pen Argyl Area High School is overseen by Pen Argyl Area SD in Northampton County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.