An equity score of 30/100 ranks Central Dauphin Sd #516 of 649 districts in Pennsylvania (state average 49). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,380 per pupil, Central Dauphin Sd ranks #587 of 672 Pennsylvania districts by per-pupil spending (Pennsylvania districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
12,479
Total Enrollment
19
Schools
$15,380
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Central Dauphin Sd operates 19 public schools serving 12,479 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Pennsylvania. The school portfolio breaks down into 13 elementary, 4 middle, 2 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Dauphin County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,380 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 672 Pennsylvania districts by per-pupil spending. See how Pennsylvania compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 68.5% local, 22.6% state, and 8.9% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 30/100, ranked #516 of 649 in Pennsylvania against a state average of 49, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 19 schools offering Advanced Placement (37 AP courses district-wide), a 467.7:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 23.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 38.4% White, 20.4% African American, 17.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Paxtang El Sch, with a diversity index of 78.6/100.
Its largest campus is Central Dauphin Shs, enrolling 1,966 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Chambers Hill El Sch, at 257 students, a 8x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Central Dauphin Shs accounts for 15.8% of all Central Dauphin Sd student enrollment
That concentration means Central Dauphin Sd-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.
Central Dauphin Sd school enrollment varies 7.6× across entities
Central Dauphin Sd school enrollment ranges from 257 students (lowest) to 1,966 students (highest), a spread of 1,709 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Central Dauphin Sd reports 73.5% free-lunch eligibility
The reported share sits between 62.5% and 75%, above a simple majority but below the highest descriptive band used here. 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.
Central Dauphin Sd student-counselor ratio is 468:1 — 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.
Central Dauphin Sd chronic absenteeism rate is 23.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
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 Variation between sub-units within Central Dauphin Sd is typically wider than the Central Dauphin Sd-aggregate figure suggests.
Central Dauphin Sd has 19 schools, including 2 high, 4 middle, 13 elementary. Total enrollment is 12,479 students.
How much does Central Dauphin Sd spend per student?
Central Dauphin Sd spends $15,380 per student. The district has an equity score of 30/100, ranking #516 in Pennsylvania.
What is the demographic composition of Central Dauphin Sd?
Central Dauphin Sd students are 38.4% White, 20.4% African American, 17.4% Asian, 14.9% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 19 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Central Dauphin Sd?
Central Dauphin Sd has an equity score of 30/100, ranking #516 out of 649 districts in Pennsylvania.