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Carbondale, Pennsylvania - 2 schools
An equity score of 52/100 ranks Carbondale Area Sd #287 of 648 districts in Pennsylvania (state average 49). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $16,162 per pupil, Carbondale Area Sd ranks #452 of 671 Pennsylvania districts by per-pupil spending (Pennsylvania districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,553
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$16,162
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Carbondale Area Sd operates 2 public schools serving 1,553 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Pennsylvania. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Lackawanna County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,162 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 671 Pennsylvania districts by per-pupil spending. See how Pennsylvania compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 31.6% local, 53.3% state, and 15.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 52/100, ranked #287 of 648 in Pennsylvania against a state average of 49, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (5 AP courses district-wide), a 372.8:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 39.8% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 68.5% White, 19.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.7% African American across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Carbondale El Sch, enrolling 755 students (51% of the district's total enrollment).
Carbondale El Sch accounts for 48.6% of all Carbondale Area Sd student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Carbondale Area Sd a distant remainder — means Carbondale Area Sd-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Carbondale Area Sd student-counselor ratio is 373:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Carbondale Area Sd chronic absenteeism rate is 39.8% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Carbondale Area Sd has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 1,553 students.
How much does Carbondale Area Sd spend per student?
Carbondale Area Sd spends $16,162 per student. The district has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #287 in Pennsylvania.
What is the demographic composition of Carbondale Area Sd?
Carbondale Area Sd students are 68.5% White, 19.4% Hispanic or Latino, 5.7% African American, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Carbondale Area Sd?
Carbondale Area Sd has an equity score of 52/100, ranking #287 out of 648 districts in Pennsylvania.