1
If you could change one rule at State College Area HS, what would it be?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
2,402
High
DISTRICT 618 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·STATE COLLEGE AREA SD·NCES 422277001364
State College Area High School
650 Westerly Pkwy, State College, PA 16801 · (814) 231-1111 · Centre County
GRADES 08–12HIGH13-CITYREGULAR SCHOOL2,402 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 97% 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.
- ABeats 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
11.6:1
207 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.3:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
22%
517 students
DISTRICT 20% · 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 | 604 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 584 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 574 | 24% |
| Grade 12 | 640 | 27% |
Student demographics
41%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 41% · 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
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
88.4%
PA avg 51.1% . +1.5pp since 2023
Math
84.5%
PA avg 43.0% . +8.2pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 88 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 85 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 8 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 88.4% | 84.5% |
| 2023-24 | 86.9% | 76.3% |
% 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
83.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
68.4%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+14.9pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 83% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 68% 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 State College Area High School
State College Area High School's state test result (83.3% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| State College Area High School this school | 2,402 | 21.5% | 83.3% |
| Downingtown HS West Campus Downingtown | 1,796 | 18.9% | 71.8% |
| Haverford SHS Havertown | 1,994 | 21.4% | 79.6% |
| Council Rock HS South Holland | 1,921 | 17.6% | 73.6% |
| Owen J Roberts High School Pottstown | 1,810 | 21.9% | 64.5% |
| Mt Lebanon SHS Pittsburgh | 1,772 | 18.7% | 86.6% |
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 State College Area High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Centre County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 83.3% | #14 of 576 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 84.5% | #7 of 626 ▲ 11 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 88.4% | #25 of 626 ▲ 11 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 2,402 | #21 of 713 | #1 of 6 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.6:1 | #102 of 601 | N/A |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 41.0% | #217 of 604 | N/A |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 21.5% | #584 of 619 | N/A |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +3.6% | #162 of 221 | N/A |
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
2,402
+32 (+1%) vs 2020
+47% since 1990-91, when it was 1,632
Student : Teacher
11.6:1
was 12.0:1
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 | 2,402 | 207.1 | 11.6:1 | 22% (517) |
| 2023-24 | 2,347 | 203.7 | 11.5:1 | 22% (517) |
| 2022-23 | 2,410 | 203.3 | 11.8:1 | 20% (488) |
| 2020-21 | 2,370 | 198 | 12.0:1 | 18% (416) |
| 2017-18 | 2,318 | 197.1 | 11.8:1 | 19% (450) |
| 2015-16 | 2,288 | 191 | 12.0:1 | 12% (278) |
| 2010-11 | 2,459 | 203 | 12.1:1 | 12% (284) |
| 2000-01 | 2,501 | 169 | 14.8:1 | 10% (239) |
| 1990-91 | 1,632 | 125 | 13.1:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for State College Area High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 4% (2,318 to 2,402); teachers up 5% (197.1 to 207.1).
About State College Area High School
In State College, Pennsylvania, part of Centre County, State College Area High School is a high school. It serves 2,402 students in grades 8 through 12. The average among high schools in Pennsylvania is roughly 738 students; this school is 225% larger than that.
State College Area SD counts 11 schools and 6,799 students, including State College Area High School.
Roughly 76% of students at State College Area High School are White. Enrollment also includes 8% Asian, 8% multiracial, 5% Hispanic, and 3% Black. Among people living in Centre County, the White share is about 84%. State College Area High School's diversity index is 41%, against a US figure of 70%.
State College Area High School operates with 207.1 full-time-equivalent teachers, a ratio of about 11.6:1. That is lower than the 12.8:1 average for high schools in Pennsylvania. About 22% of students at the school meet free or reduced-price lunch income limits. The average for public schools in Centre County is 31%.
allk12 grades State College Area High School an A+. The grade compares the school only with Pennsylvania public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
On a poverty-adjusted basis, State College Area High School falls in the middle 80% of Pennsylvania schools: 83.3% actual against 68.4% predicted.
Census Bureau estimates for Centre County show that the median household income is $74,291, roughly 46% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 6%. There are 33 public schools in Centre County, enrolling about 13,674 students in all.
Easterly Parkway Elementary School is the closest public school, about 0.7 miles away in a straight line. Other public schools within five miles number at least 8. The school's 83.3% average proficiency ranks 1st among 9 nearby schools.
The federal government classifies State College Area High School's location as City: Small.
Enrollment at State College Area High School was 2,370 in 2020-21 and 2,402 in 2024-25, a change of less than 3%.
If you have questions about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at State College Area High School, you can post them here. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.
Centre County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
158,576
Census ACS
Median income
$74,291
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
46%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
6%
Below federal line
Schools in county
33
13,674 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in State College Area SD
- Park Forest Middle SchoolMiddle · 822 students
- Mount Nittany Middle SchoolMiddle · 752 students
- Radio Park Elementary SchoolElementary · 424 students
- Park Forest Elementary SchoolElementary · 419 students
- Mount Nittany Elementary SchoolElementary · 413 students
- Spring Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · 360 students
Other schools in State College
- Park Forest Middle SchoolMiddle · 822 students
- Mount Nittany Middle SchoolMiddle · 752 students
- Radio Park Elementary SchoolElementary · 424 students
- Park Forest Elementary SchoolElementary · 419 students
- Mount Nittany Elementary SchoolElementary · 413 students
- Spring Creek Elementary SchoolElementary · 360 students
Nearby schools
- Easterly Parkway Elementary School0.7 mi · 314
- Nittany Valley CS0.8 mi · 51
- Corl Street Elementary School0.9 mi · 250
- Young Scholars of Central PA CS1.0 mi · 321
- Centre Learning Community CS1.8 mi · 67
- Radio Park Elementary School1.9 mi · 424
Frequently asked questions
About State College Area High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at State College Area High School?
State College Area High School enrolls approximately 2,402 students in grades 08-12.
What age range does State College Area High School serve?
State College Area High School serves students from grade 08 through grade 12.
How many teachers does State College Area High School have?
State College Area High School employs 207 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.6:1.
What is the student diversity at State College Area High School?
Student demographics at State College Area High School are roughly 76% White, 5% Hispanic, 3% Black, 8% Asian, 8% Two or more.
Who oversees State College Area High School?
State College Area High School is overseen by State College Area SD in Centre County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.