Wilkes-Barre Area School District

730 S Main St
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702
(District boundaries shown in map)
2/
10
Bottom 50%

Top Rankings

Wilkes-Barre Area School District ranks among the top 20% of public school district in Pennsylvania for:

Category
Attribute
Diversity
Most diverse schools (Top 1%)
Community Size
Largest student body (number of students) (Top 1%)
For the 2024-25 school year, there are 2 public middle schools serving 1,762 students in Wilkes-Barre Area School District. This district's average middle testing ranking is 1/10, which is in the bottom 50% of public middle schools in Pennsylvania.
Public Middle Schools in Wilkes-Barre Area School District have an average math proficiency score of 6% (versus the Pennsylvania public middle school average of 26%), and reading proficiency score of 28% (versus the 52% statewide average).
Minority enrollment is 74% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the Pennsylvania public middle school average of 46% (majority Black).

Overview

This School District
This State (PA)
# Schools
10 Schools
924 Schools
# Students
7,777 Students
593,019 Students
# Teachers
422 Teachers
43,563 Teachers
Student : Teacher Ratio
18:1
18:1

District Rank

Wilkes-Barre Area School District, which is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 679 school districts in Pennsylvania (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2021-2022 school year.
The school district's graduation rate of 81% has decreased from 84% over five school years.
This School District
State Average (PA)
#586 out of 684 school districts
(Bottom 50%)
This chart displays the overall district rank of Wilkes-Barre Area   School District, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
12%
36%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Wilkes-Barre Area   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Math of Pennsylvania by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
28%
55%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Wilkes-Barre Area   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Reading/Language Arts of Pennsylvania by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
36%
57%
This chart displays the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Wilkes-Barre Area   School District and the percentage of public school students that scored at or above 'proficient' levels in Science of Pennsylvania by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.
81%
87%
This chart displays public school graduation rate of Wilkes-Barre Area   School District and public school graduation rate of Pennsylvania by year, with the latest 2021-22 school year data.

Students by Ethnicity:

0.67
0.64
# American Indian Students
14 Students
1,194 Students
% American Indian Students
n/a
n/a
# Asian Students
63 Students
24,410 Students
% Asian Students
1%
4%
# Hispanic Students
3,783 Students
94,651 Students
% Hispanic Students
49%
16%
# Black Students
1,230 Students
120,472 Students
% Black Students
16%
21%
# White Students
2,096 Students
321,352 Students
% White Students
27%
54%
# Hawaiian Students
2 Students
577 Students
% Hawaiian Students
n/a
n/a
# Two or more races Students
589 Students
29,801 Students
% of Two or more races Students
7%
5%

Students by Grade:

# Students in PK Grade:
99
1,575
# Students in K Grade:
629
15,841
# Students in 1st Grade:
636
17,953
# Students in 2nd Grade:
509
17,626
# Students in 3rd Grade:
585
18,644
# Students in 4th Grade:
597
19,624
# Students in 5th Grade:
587
34,161
# Students in 6th Grade:
563
93,842
# Students in 7th Grade:
594
129,428
# Students in 8th Grade:
605
132,557
# Students in 9th Grade:
684
34,160
# Students in 10th Grade:
610
27,308
# Students in 11th Grade:
543
25,337
# Students in 12th Grade:
536
24,963
# Ungraded Students:
-
-

District Revenue and Spending

The revenue/student of $17,083 in this school district is less than the state median of $23,649. The school district revenue/student has declined by 5% over four school years.
The school district's spending/student of $21,997 is less than the state median of $23,073. The school district spending/student has stayed relatively flat over four school years.
This School District
This State (PA)
Total Revenue
$133 MM
$39,541 MM
This chart displays total revenue of Wilkes-Barre Area   School District and median value from total revenues of all school districts in Pennsylvania by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending
$171 MM
$38,578 MM
This chart displays total spending of Wilkes-Barre Area   School District and median value from total spendings of all school districts in Pennsylvania by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Revenue / Student
$17,083
$23,649
This chart displays average revenue per public school student in Wilkes-Barre Area   School District and average revenue per public school student of all school districts in Pennsylvania by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.
Spending / Student
$21,997
$23,073
This chart displays average spending per public school student in Wilkes-Barre Area   School District and average spending per public school student of all school districts in Pennsylvania by year, with the latest 2020-21 school year data.

Best Wilkes-Barre Area School District Public Middle Schools (2024-25)

School
(Math and Reading Proficiency)
Location
Grades
Students
Rank: #11.
Solomon/plains Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 7% | Reading: 33%)
Rank:
2/
10
Bottom 50%
43 Abbott St
Wilkes Barre, PA 18705
(570) 826-7224
Grades: 6-8
| 736 students
Rank: #22.
G A R Middle School
Magnet School
(Math: 6% | Reading: 24%)
Rank:
1/
10
Bottom 50%
250 South Grant Street
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702
(570) 826-7165
Grades: 6-8
| 1,026 students

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Quick Stats (2024-25)

  • District size: 10 schools
  • Grades: KG-12
  • Enrollment: 7,777 students
  • Student:Teacher Ratio: 18:1
  • Minority Enrollment: 73%
  • : 81% (Btm 50% in PA)
  • : Bottom 50%
  • : 12% (Btm 50%)
  • : 28% (Btm 50%)
  • : 36% (Btm 50%)
  • Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), PA Dept. of Education

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