Enrollment
705
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 420244006555
Ambridge Area Hs — Ambridge, PA
Federal NCES profile for Ambridge Area Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 21
📚 AP courses 75
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 36
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: Ambridge 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)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+47% 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
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
Ambridge Area Hs reports 705 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 37.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 47% 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 25% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 92.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% above the Pennsylvania average and 78% above the national baseline. The school offers 15 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 353 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 25.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ambridge Area Sd spends $20,404 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 48.7% from local sources (property taxes), 39.9% from the state, and 11.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 5 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 Ambridge 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 | 19.8:1 | ▲ 47% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.2% | ▲ 59% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 705 | top 79% | — | — |
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
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
19.8:1
students per teacher
— 47% above state mean
Top 98% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
25.5%
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
$20,404
per pupil, district-wide
— below Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
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
Enrollment 705 Top 79% in Pennsylvania — larger than 21% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 37.0
Students per teacher 19.8:1 +47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 92.2% +59% vs state
NCES ID 420244006555
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 15
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 353:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 25.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 234
Expulsions 21
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ambridge Area Sd, which includes Ambridge Area Hs.
$20,404
Per student
-10%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 500
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 284
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
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 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 19.8:1, which is 47% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 25% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in Ambridge, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ambridge Area Hs?
Ambridge Area Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 5 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.