Enrollment
1,559
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 420501001694
Carlisle Area Hs — Carlisle, PA
Federal NCES profile for Carlisle Area Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 69/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 84
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: Carlisle 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)
112.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.1:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
+4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
36.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Carlisle 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
Carlisle Area Hs reports 1,559 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 112.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% 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 11% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 36.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the Pennsylvania average and 29% below the national baseline. The school offers 23 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 260 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 6.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Carlisle Area Sd spends $18,545 per pupil district-wide, below the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 62.9% from local sources (property taxes), 28.3% from the state, and 8.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 69/100 (B-), 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 Carlisle 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 | 14.1:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 36.7% | ▼ 37% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,559 | top 97% | — | — |
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
36.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% 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
14.1:1
students per teacher
— 4% above state mean
Top 61% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
6.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$18,545
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
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 260 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
110
in-school suspensions + 125 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 6 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,559 Top 97% in Pennsylvania — larger than 3% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 112.0
Students per teacher 14.1:1 +4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 36.7% -37% vs state
NCES ID 420501001694
Student demographics
White 59.9%
African American 12.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.5%
Two or More 10.4%
Asian 5.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 59.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 23
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 6.0
Students per counselor 260:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 6.4%
In-school suspensions 110
Out-of-school suspensions 125
Expulsions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Carlisle Area Sd, which includes Carlisle Area Hs.
$18,545
Per student
-18%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
-5%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 62.9%
State 28.3%
Federal 8.7%
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
- 604
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 541
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Enrollment
- 407
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 388
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
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 Carlisle Area Hs
How many students attend Carlisle Area Hs?
Carlisle Area Hs has 1,559 students enrolled. It is a high school in Carlisle, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Carlisle Area Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Carlisle Area Hs is 14.1:1, which is 4% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Carlisle Area Hs?
36.7% of students at Carlisle Area Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Carlisle Area Hs?
The largest demographic group at Carlisle Area Hs is White at 59.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Carlisle, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Carlisle Area Hs?
Carlisle Area Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 69/100 (B-) 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.