Enrollment
1,956
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Butler, PA
Butler Area Shs
Federal NCES profile for Butler Area Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420459007554
👥 S:T ratio 29
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Butler Area Shs earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Pennsylvania.
- #9 of 9
- public schools in Butler · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 29.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Butler Area Shs has class sizes larger than 94% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Butler Area Shs ranks #9 of 9 public schools in Butler, PA.
School address
District: Butler Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420459007554 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
110.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.5%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-49% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Butler Area Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Butler Area Shs
Butler Area Shs is a large high school in Butler, Pennsylvania, enrolling 1,956 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.8:1 is larger than about 94% of Pennsylvania schools and 31% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.5% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Pennsylvania, bigger than 98% of state schools at 1,956 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 89 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #89, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 515 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Butler's high schools, it stands alongside Butler County Avts (26 students): Butler Area Shs is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.8:1 vs 1.3:1).
Butler Area Sd also operates Butler Area Ihs (1,291 students) and Center Twp Sch (584 students) alongside Butler Area Shs.
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 Butler Area Shs compares
Butler Area Shs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 17.8:1 | ▲ 31% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.5% | ▼ 49% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,956 | top 2% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,956
Bigger than 98% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 49% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 31% above state mean
Top 94% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 6% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.4%
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
$15,227
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
Counselors3.8 FTE
Per 515 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
104
in-school suspensions + 58 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 91.7%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 2.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
Asian 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 91.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.7, Butler Area Shs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Butler Area Sd, which includes Butler Area Shs.
$15,227
Per student
-15%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-8%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 47.2%
State 41.6%
Federal 11.2%
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 Butler Area Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler Area Ihs | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Center Twp Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mcquistion El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northwest El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Connoquenessing El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Butler Area Shs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,291
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 584
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 498
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 287
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar high schools in Butler
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
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 (~1,956 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Butler Area Shs's federal record.
- Compare Butler Area Shs against another school. Compare schools
- Butler 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 Butler Area Shs
How many students attend Butler Area Shs?
Butler Area Shs has 1,956 students enrolled. It is a high school in Butler, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Butler Area Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at Butler Area Shs is 17.8:1, which is 31% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Butler Area Shs?
29.5% of students at Butler Area Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Butler Area Shs?
The largest demographic group at Butler Area Shs is White at 91.7% of enrollment, in Butler, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Butler Area Shs?
Butler Area Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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).
How does Butler Area Shs rank among public schools in Butler?
By Resource Investment Index, Butler Area Shs ranks #9 of 9 public schools in Butler, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Butler on the city page.
Is Butler Area Shs a good school?
Butler Area Shs earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 94% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Pennsylvania. 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 Butler Area Sd?
Besides Butler Area Shs, Butler Area Sd also operates Butler Area Ihs (1,291 students), Center Twp Sch (584 students), and Mcquistion El Sch (498 students). See the Butler 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.