Enrollment
2,255
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 420234000913
Altoona Area Hs — Altoona, PA
Federal NCES profile for Altoona Area Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 13
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Altoona Area Sd · Pennsylvania
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
137.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Altoona Area Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Altoona Area Hs reports 2,255 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 137.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 21% above the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 3% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 46.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the Pennsylvania average and 10% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 259 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 34.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Altoona Area Sd spends $17,018 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.8% from local sources (property taxes), 56.9% from the state, and 17.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Altoona Area Hs compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▲ 21% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.6% | ▼ 20% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,255 | top 99% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
46.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
— 21% above state mean
Top 88% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,018
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors8.7 FTE
Per 259 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
184
in-school suspensions + 203 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,255 Top 99% in Pennsylvania — larger than 1% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 137.0
Students per teacher 16.3:1 +21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 46.6% -20% vs state
NCES ID 420234000913
Student demographics
White 83.9%
African American 10.5%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Two or More 1.4%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 83.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 8.7
Students per counselor 259:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 34.8%
In-school suspensions 184
Out-of-school suspensions 203
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Altoona Area Sd, which includes Altoona Area Hs.
$17,018
Per student
-25%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-13%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.8%
State 56.9%
Federal 17.3%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,578
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 490
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Enrollment
- 470
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 428
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
Similar other schools in Altoona
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Altoona Area Hs
How many students attend Altoona Area Hs?
Altoona Area Hs has 2,255 students enrolled. It is a other school in Altoona, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Altoona Area Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Altoona Area Hs is 16.3:1, which is 21% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Altoona Area Hs?
46.6% of students at Altoona Area Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Altoona Area Hs?
The largest demographic group at Altoona Area Hs is White at 83.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Altoona, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Altoona Area Hs?
Altoona Area Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.