NCES CCD 2024-25 34 schools PA

Best-Resourced Schools in Allentown, PA

34 public K-12 schools in Allentown from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.

34
Schools
27,885
Students
38/100
Avg Resource Index
15.2:1
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

National city placement

Large, fragmented school market

According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Allentown has more public-school enrollment than 95% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Allentown is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 8 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.

The school portfolio is elementary-weighted

21 of Allentown's 34 listed schools are elementary campuses. That composition means citywide enrollment and staffing averages are influenced more by early-grade operating patterns than by the city's 5 middle and 5 high-school records. Families comparing later grades should rely on those individual rows rather than the all-school mean.

Campus spread matters more than the city mean

The 38-point gap between Parkland Hs and Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays El Sch shows the range hidden by Allentown's average Resource Investment Index. The city figure is useful for national placement, but families ultimately choose among campuses with different grade spans, enrollment, district affiliations, and reported support fields. Start with schools serving the relevant grade level, then compare the index components rather than assuming the city average describes any one classroom.

City enrollment
Top 5%
School count
Top 7%
Resource Index average
37th percentile
Teacher staffing
52nd percentile

Allentown school enrollment varies 15× across entities

Allentown school enrollment ranges from 212 students (lowest) to 3,279 students (highest), a spread of 3,067 students. That spread reflects typical urban portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Allentown reports 76.9% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share is at least 75%, indicating a high concentration of measured economic need. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Allentown operates 8 school districts — among the most fragmented governance structures in the country

Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Allentown student-teacher ratio is 15.2:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — citywide staffing is neither unusually lean nor unusually crowded by this measure

student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Allentown is typically wider than the Allentown-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, Public School Universe

5 of Allentown's 34 listed schools are charters

15% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

# School Score
1. Parkland Hs 55
2. Springhouse Ms 55
3. Salisbury Shs 53
4. Cetronia Sch 50
5. Louis E Dieruff Hs 48
6. Kratzer Sch 47
7. Salisbury Ms 47
8. Harrison-Morton Ms 46
9. Parkway Manor Sch 46
10. Salisbury El Sch 46
11. Trexler Ms 45
12. Building 21 Allentown 42
13. Lehigh Parkway El Sch 42
14. Muhlenberg El Sch 41
15. William Allen Hs 38
16. South Mountain Ms 38
17. Lincoln Leadership Academy Cs 37
18. Hiram W Dodd El Sch 37
19. Arts Academy Cs 37
20. Francis D Raub Ms 36
21. Executive Education Academy Cs 35
22. Luis a. Ramos El Sch 35
23. Roosevelt El Sch 35
24. Washington El Sch 34
25. Jackson Early Childhood Center 34
26. Union Terrace El Sch 33
27. Roberto Clemente Cs 33
28. Ritter El Sch 31
29. Arts Academy Elementary Cs 31
30. Mosser El Sch 28
31. Sheridan El Sch 26
32. Jefferson El Sch 18
33. Brigadier General Anna Mae Hays El Sch 17
34. Central El Sch 17

Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Allentown

Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.

  1. 1 Kratzer Sch 64.8/100
  2. 2 Springhouse Ms 64.2/100
  3. 3 Arts Academy Cs 64.1/100
  4. 4 Parkway Manor Sch 63.3/100
  5. 5 Salisbury Shs 62.9/100

What do families ask about schools in Allentown?

Which Allentown school has the highest Resource Investment Index?

Parkland Hs has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Allentown schools in this federal-data comparison at 55/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.

How many schools are in Allentown, PA?

Allentown has 34 public schools with a total enrollment of 27,885 students. 5 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 15.2:1.

Other Cities in Pennsylvania

Side-by-side: Compare any two schools or districts in Pennsylvania →

Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes: verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.