Downingtown Area SD

Public school district · Chester County · Pennsylvania · NCES district ID 4207710

Downingtown Area SD spent $17,304 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 56% of the other Pennsylvania districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $17,594). Its 16 schools enrolled 13,047 students in 2024-25; 21.6% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $18,143 per student, up 4.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 96% (Pennsylvania: 87.5%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Pennsylvania's largest districts

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Downingtown Area SD ranks 7.

Current spending per student, largest Pennsylvania districts, FY23Pittsburgh SD $24,008; North Penn SD $19,806; Central Bucks SD $18,884; Bethlehem Area SD $18,515; The School District of Philadelphia $18,329; Allentown $17,939; Downingtown Area SD $17,304; Commonwealth Charter Academy CS $16,549; Upper Darby SD $15,392; Reading SD $14,509; State median, 1,000+ students $17,594.10k15k20k25kPittsburgh SD$24,008North Penn SD$19,806Central Bucks SD$18,884Bethlehem Area SD$18,515The School District of Philade…$18,329Allentown$17,939Downingtown Area SD$17,304Commonwealth Charter Academy CS$16,549Upper Darby SD$15,392Reading SD$14,509State median, 1,000+ students $17,594
Current spending per student, largest Pennsylvania districts, FY23Pittsburgh SD $24,008; North Penn SD $19,806; Central Bucks SD $18,884; Bethlehem Area SD $18,515; The School District of Philadelphia $18,329; Allentown $17,939; Downingtown Area SD $17,304; Commonwealth Charter Academy CS $16,549; Upper Darby SD $15,392; Reading SD $14,509; State median, 1,000+ students $17,594.10k15k20k25kPittsburgh SD$24,008North Penn SD$19,806Central Bucks SD$18,884Bethlehem Area SD$18,515The School District of Philadelphia$18,329Allentown$17,939Downingtown Area SD$17,304Commonwealth Charter Academy CS$16,549Upper Darby SD$15,392Reading SD$14,509State median, 1,000+ students $17,594
Current spending per student, largest Pennsylvania districts, FY23Pittsburgh SD $24,008; North Penn SD $19,806; Central Bucks SD $18,884; Bethlehem Area SD $18,515; The School District of Philadelphia $18,329; Allentown $17,939; Downingtown Area SD $17,304; Commonwealth Charter Academy CS $16,549; Upper Darby SD $15,392; Reading SD $14,509; State median, 1,000+ students $17,594.10k15k20k25kPittsburgh SD$24,008North Penn SD$19,806Central Bucks SD$18,884Bethlehem Area SD$18,515The School District of Philadelphia$18,329Allentown$17,939Downingtown Area SD$17,304Commonwealth Charter Academy CS$16,549Upper Darby SD$15,392Reading SD$14,509State median, 1,000+ students $17,594
Current spending per student, largest Pennsylvania districts, FY23Pittsburgh SD $24,008; North Penn SD $19,806; Central Bucks SD $18,884; Bethlehem Area SD $18,515; The School District of Philadelphia $18,329; Allentown $17,939; Downingtown Area SD $17,304; Commonwealth Charter Academy CS $16,549; Upper Darby SD $15,392; Reading SD $14,509; State median, 1,000+ students $17,594.10k15k20k25kPittsburgh SD$24,008North Penn SD$19,806Central Bucks SD$18,884Bethlehem Area SD$18,515The School District of Philadelphia$18,329Allentown$17,939Downingtown Area SD$17,304Commonwealth Charter Academy CS$16,549Upper Darby SD$15,392Reading SD$14,509State median, 1,000+ students $17,594

Where the money came from

$277,134,000 in revenue: 21.6% state, 76.4% local and 2.0% federal. Total spending including $23,027,000 of capital outlay was $276,269,000, or $20,923 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Downingtown Area SD revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $59,959,000; Local $211,734,000; Federal $5,441,000; total $277,134,000.
  • State$59,959,000 22%
  • Local$211,734,000 76%
  • Federal$5,441,000 2%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 418 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

13,201 students in 2022-23, 13,218 students in 2023-24, 13,047 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Downingtown Area SD enrollment by school year2022-23: 13,201, 2023-24: 13,218, 2024-25: 13,04705k10k15k2022-2313,2012023-2413,2182024-2513,047
Downingtown Area SD enrollment by school year2022-23: 13,201, 2023-24: 13,218, 2024-25: 13,04705k10k15k2022-2313,2012023-2413,2182024-2513,047
Downingtown Area SD enrollment by school year2022-23: 13,201, 2023-24: 13,218, 2024-25: 13,04705k10k15k2022-2313,2012023-2413,2182024-2513,047
Downingtown Area SD enrollment by school year2022-23: 13,201, 2023-24: 13,218, 2024-25: 13,04705k10k15k2022-2313,2012023-2413,2182024-2513,047

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2313,201958.513.8
2023-2413,218946.314.0
2024-2513,047958.613.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$85,900,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $6,506 per student

Downingtown Area SD booked $85,900,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 960 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $89,523 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 72 in 100 Pennsylvania districts with a figure (state median $81,309, 647 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Pennsylvania teacher salary at $72,248 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$63,639,00074.1%
Special education$16,819,00019.6%
Vocational$2,610,0003.0%
Other programs$2,832,0003.3%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,477 in 2018-19, $5,675 in 2019-20, $6,080 in 2020-21, $6,284 in 2021-22, $6,506 in 2022-23.

Downingtown Area SD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,477, 2019-20: $5,675, 2020-21: $6,080, 2021-22: $6,284, 2022-23: $6,50602k4k6k8k2018-19$5,4772019-20$5,6752020-21$6,0802021-22$6,2842022-23$6,506
Downingtown Area SD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,477, 2019-20: $5,675, 2020-21: $6,080, 2021-22: $6,284, 2022-23: $6,50602k4k6k8k2018-19$5,4772019-20$5,6752020-21$6,0802021-22$6,2842022-23$6,506
Downingtown Area SD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,477, 2019-20: $5,675, 2020-21: $6,080, 2021-22: $6,284, 2022-23: $6,50602k4k6k8k2018-19$5,4772019-20$5,6752020-21$6,0802021-22$6,2842022-23$6,506
Downingtown Area SD teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $5,477, 2019-20: $5,675, 2020-21: $6,080, 2021-22: $6,284, 2022-23: $6,50602k4k6k8k2018-19$5,4772019-20$5,6752020-21$6,0802021-22$6,2842022-23$6,506

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Downingtown Area SD scored proficient or above: 81% in reading and 55% in math, against 54% in reading and 34% in math across Pennsylvania. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Pennsylvania, not across states. Where a state published results by grade only, the grades tested are combined, weighted by the students tested in each.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtPennsylvaniaStudents tested
Reading and language arts81%54%5,969
Math55%34%5,980

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

96% of the 1,085 students in Downingtown Area SD's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.5% across Pennsylvania. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtPennsylvania
Four-year graduation rate96%87.5%
Students in the class1,085136,045

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

10 elementary schools, 5,396 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Lionville Elementary School66815.417.5%Targeted program
West Bradford Elementary School62315.111.2%Not Title I
Springton Manor Elementary School55514.111.9%Not Title I
East Ward Elementary School54914.029.3%Targeted program
Uwchlan Hills Elementary School53715.29.3%Not Title I
Bradford Hgts Elementary School53412.523.2%Targeted program
Beaver Creek Elementary School53113.415.8%Targeted program
Brandywine-Wallace Elementary School48814.710.7%Not Title I
Shamona Creek Elementary School48813.48.2%Not Title I
Pickering Valley Elementary School42311.88.0%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

3 middle schools, 3,185 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Downingtown Middle School1,07412.915.5%Eligible, no program
Marsh Creek Sixth Grade Center1,06613.414.9%Not Title I
Lionville Middle School1,04513.813.3%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

3 high schools, 4,466 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Downingtown HS West Campus1,79613.118.4%Eligible, no program
Downingtown HS East Campus1,70813.219.4%Eligible, no program
Downingtown STEM Academy96214.35.4%Not Title I

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Downingtown Area SD

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Downingtown Area SD

  1. Pennsylvania districts by spending per studentDowningtown Area SD ranks 234 of 418 Pennsylvania districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($17,304).#234 of 418
  2. Every school district in PennsylvaniaDowningtown Area SD is the number 7 by size of 775 Pennsylvania districts, with 13,204 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#7 of 775
  3. Allentown School DistrictThe next larger Pennsylvania district: 15,988 students in fall 2022, $17,939 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,939
  4. Bethlehem Area SDThe next smaller Pennsylvania district: 12,973 students in fall 2022, $18,515 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,515
  5. Compare Downingtown Area SD with Allentown School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Downingtown HS West Campus, its largest high school1,796 students in 2024-25, 13.1 per teacher.1,796
  7. Teacher salary spending across PennsylvaniaDowningtown Area SD spent $89,523 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $81,309); spending, not a salary.$89,523
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Downingtown Area SD

  1. How many schools and students are in Downingtown Area SD?
    16 schools were open in 2024-25 (10 elementary, 3 middle, 3 high), enrolling 13,047 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Downingtown Area SD spend per student?
    $17,304 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Pennsylvania median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $17,594 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $18,143 per student, up 4.8% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Downingtown Area SD's money come from?
    $277,134,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 21.6% state, 76.4% local and 2.0% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Downingtown Area SD live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 369 of the 14,778 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 2.5%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Downingtown Area SD spend on teacher salaries?
    $85,900,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $6,506 per student. Divided by the 960 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $89,523 per teacher, more than 72 in 100 Pennsylvania districts (state median $81,309). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Pennsylvania teacher salary at $72,248 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Downingtown Area SD do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Downingtown Area SD scored proficient or above: 81% in reading and 55% in math, against 54% in reading and 34% in math across Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Downingtown Area SD?
    96% of the 1,085 students in Downingtown Area SD's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 87.5% across Pennsylvania. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Downingtown Area SD's NCES district ID?
    4207710. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .