Enrollment
705
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Ambridge, PA
Ambridge Area Hs
Federal NCES profile for Ambridge Area Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420244006555
👥 S:T ratio 24
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 36
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ambridge Area Hs earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Pennsylvania schools.
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.1:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 92.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 705
- students enrolled
Ambridge Area Hs has class sizes larger than 97% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Ambridge Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420244006555 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.2%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ambridge Area Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ambridge Area Hs
Ambridge Area Hs is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, enrolling 705 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.1:1 is larger than about 97% of Pennsylvania schools and 40% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 92.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 705 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 449 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #175.
Its student body is led by White (77%) and African American (16%) (diversity index 37/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 15 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 353 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Ambridge Area Sd spends $14,271 per pupil, 21% below the Pennsylvania average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Discipline events run high: 234 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 705 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 21 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Ambridge Area Sd also operates Ambridge Area Ms (500 students) and Economy El Sch (456 students) alongside Ambridge Area Hs.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Ambridge Area Hs compares
Ambridge Area Hs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.1:1 | ▲ 40% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.2% | ▲ 59% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 705 | top 21% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.1:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
705
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
19.1:1
students per teacher
- 40% above state mean
Top 97% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 3% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,271
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 353 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 234 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 33.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 21 expulsions.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 77.3%
African American 15.9%
Two or More 5.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 77.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.4, Ambridge Area Hs is about as mixed as the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ambridge Area Sd, which includes Ambridge Area Hs.
$14,271
Per student
-21%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.7%
State 39.9%
Federal 11.4%
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.
How Ambridge Area Hs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambridge Area Ms | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Economy El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Highland El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| State Street El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ambridge Area Hs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 500
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 284
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~705 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ambridge Area Hs's federal record.
- Compare Ambridge Area Hs against another school. Compare schools
- Ambridge Area Sd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Ambridge Area Hs
How many students attend Ambridge Area Hs?
Ambridge Area Hs has 705 students enrolled. It is a high school in Ambridge, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ambridge Area Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Ambridge Area Hs is 19.1:1, which is 40% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 22% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ambridge Area Hs?
92.2% of students at Ambridge Area Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ambridge Area Hs?
The largest demographic group at Ambridge Area Hs is White at 77.3% of enrollment, in Ambridge, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ambridge Area Hs?
Ambridge Area Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Ambridge Area Hs a good school?
Ambridge Area Hs earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 97% of Pennsylvania schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ambridge Area Sd?
Besides Ambridge Area Hs, Ambridge Area Sd also operates Ambridge Area Ms (500 students), Economy El Sch (456 students), and Highland El Sch (284 students). See the Ambridge Area Sd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.