Wilkes-Barre Area SD
Public school district · Luzerne County · Pennsylvania · NCES district ID 4226300
Wilkes-Barre Area SD spent $12,924 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, the least of the 418 Pennsylvania districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $17,594). Its 9 schools enrolled 8,176 students in 2024-25; 41.6% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $12,925 per student, up 0.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 77% (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 districts of similar size
Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Wilkes-Barre Area SD in enrollment (7,226 to 8,461 students) and Wilkes-Barre Area SD itself.
Where the money came from
$168,573,000 in revenue: 41.6% state, 44.1% local and 14.3% federal. Total spending including $19,867,000 of capital outlay was $152,577,000, or $19,511 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$70,060,000 42%
- Local$74,331,000 44%
- Federal$24,182,000 14%
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 rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
7,777 students in 2022-23, 8,086 students in 2023-24, 8,176 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 7,777 | 422.2 | 18.4 |
| 2023-24 | 8,086 | 426.8 | 18.9 |
| 2024-25 | 8,176 | 416.3 | 19.6 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
$37,057,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,739 per student
Wilkes-Barre Area SD booked $37,057,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 424 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 $87,481 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 66 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).
| Program | Teacher salaries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Regular programs | $27,854,000 | 75.2% |
| Special education | $7,986,000 | 21.6% |
| Vocational | $453,000 | 1.2% |
| Other programs | $764,000 | 2.1% |
Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23
The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $5,073 in 2018-19, $5,115 in 2019-20, $4,974 in 2020-21, $4,822 in 2021-22, $4,739 in 2022-23.
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 Wilkes-Barre Area SD scored proficient or above: 26% in reading and 11% 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.
| Subject | This district | Pennsylvania | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 26% | 54% | 3,345 |
| Math | 11% | 34% | 3,362 |
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
77% of the 656 students in Wilkes-Barre 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.
| This district | Pennsylvania | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 77% | 87.5% |
| Students in the class | 656 | 136,045 |
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.
5 elementary schools, 3,655 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr David W Kistler Elementary School | 961 | 17.4 | 100.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Heights/Murray Elementary School | 838 | 16.9 | 100.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Solomon/Plains Elementary School | 718 | 15.3 | 98.6% | Schoolwide program |
| Daniel J Flood Elementary School | 616 | 16.8 | 100.0% | Schoolwide program |
| Dodson Elementary School | 522 | 20.1 | 92.5% | Schoolwide program |
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.
2 middle schools, 1,859 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G a R Middle School | 1,101 | 21.1 | 96.8% | Schoolwide program |
| Solomon/Plains Middle School | 758 | 20.6 | 97.8% | Schoolwide program |
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.
2 high schools, 2,662 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilkes-Barre Area High School | 2,569 | 23.5 | 96.1% | Eligible, no program |
| Wilkes-Barre Area SD STEM Academy | 93 | 29.3 | 90.3% | Eligible, no program |
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.
One more school on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory
These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.
Wolfpack Early Learning Academy
School in Wilkes-Barre; last listed in the 2024-25 NCES directory (closed); 99 students; 24.8 students per teacher.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.
Contact Wilkes-Barre Area SD
- Website: wbasd.k12.pa.us
- Phone: (570) 826-7111
- Office: 730 S Main St, Wilkes Barre, PA 18702
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 Wilkes-Barre Area SD
- Pennsylvania districts by spending per studentWilkes-Barre Area SD ranks 416 of 418 Pennsylvania districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,924).#416 of 418
- Every school district in PennsylvaniaWilkes-Barre Area SD is the number 31 by size of 775 Pennsylvania districts, with 7,820 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#31 of 775
- Spring-Ford Area SDThe next larger Pennsylvania district: 7,953 students in fall 2022, $20,272 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$20,272
- Norristown Area SDThe next smaller Pennsylvania district: 7,805 students in fall 2022, $18,785 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$18,785
- Compare Wilkes-Barre Area SD with Spring-Ford Area SDEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Wilkes-Barre Area High School, its largest high school2,569 students in 2024-25, 23.5 per teacher.2,569
- Teacher salary spending across PennsylvaniaWilkes-Barre Area SD spent $87,481 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $81,309); spending, not a salary.$87,481
- 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 Wilkes-Barre Area SD
How many schools and students are in Wilkes-Barre Area SD?
9 schools were open in 2024-25 (5 elementary, 2 middle, 2 high), enrolling 8,176 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Wilkes-Barre Area SD spend per student?
$12,924 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 $12,925 per student, up 0.0% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Wilkes-Barre Area SD's money come from?
$168,573,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 41.6% state, 44.1% local and 14.3% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Wilkes-Barre Area SD live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 2,461 of the 9,215 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 26.7%, 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.How much does Wilkes-Barre Area SD spend on teacher salaries?
$37,057,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,739 per student. Divided by the 424 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $87,481 per teacher, more than 66 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).How do students in Wilkes-Barre Area SD do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Wilkes-Barre Area SD scored proficient or above: 26% in reading and 11% 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.What is the graduation rate in Wilkes-Barre Area SD?
77% of the 656 students in Wilkes-Barre 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.What is Wilkes-Barre Area SD's NCES district ID?
4226300. 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