Enrollment
290
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Coal Center, PA
California Area Shs
Federal NCES profile for California Area Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420471004203
👥 S:T ratio 39
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 22
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
California Area Shs earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Coal Center · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 15.3:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 33.9%
- free-lunch eligible
California Area Shs has class sizes larger than 79% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, California Area Shs ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Coal Center, PA.
School address
District: California Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420471004203 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.9%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How California Area Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at California Area Shs
California Area Shs is a mid-sized high school in Coal Center, Pennsylvania, enrolling 290 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.9% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 290 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 363 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #360, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 2 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 580 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding California Area Sd spends $14,332 per pupil, 20% below the Pennsylvania average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
California Area Sd also operates California Area El Sch (485 students) and California Area Ms (158 students) alongside California 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 California Area Shs compares
California 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 13% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.9% | ▼ 42% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 290 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
290
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher
- 13% above state mean
Top 79% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.4%
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
$14,332
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 12 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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 83.8%
Two or More 6.9%
African American 4.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 83.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.9, California Area Shs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for California Area Sd, which includes California Area Shs.
$14,332
Per student
-20%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.9%
State 56.6%
Federal 7.4%
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 California Area Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| California Area El Sch | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| California Area Ms | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to California Area Shs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 485
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 158
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
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 (~290 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on California Area Shs's federal record.
- Compare California Area Shs against another school. Compare schools
- California 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 California Area Shs
How many students attend California Area Shs?
California Area Shs has 290 students enrolled. It is a high school in Coal Center, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at California Area Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at California Area Shs is 15.3:1, which is 13% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at California Area Shs?
33.9% of students at California Area Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of California Area Shs?
The largest demographic group at California Area Shs is White at 83.8% of enrollment, in Coal Center, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for California Area Shs?
California Area Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 California Area Shs rank among public schools in Coal Center?
By Resource Investment Index, California Area Shs ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Coal Center, 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 Coal Center on the city page.
Is California Area Shs a good school?
California Area Shs earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% 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 California Area Sd?
Besides California Area Shs, California Area Sd also operates California Area El Sch (485 students) and California Area Ms (158 students). See the California 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.