Enrollment
594
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pittsburgh, PA
City Chs
Federal NCES profile for City Chs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420009400663Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 50
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 80
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
City Chs earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #6 of 16
- high schools in Pittsburgh · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.4:1
- students per teacher
- 59.7%
- free-lunch eligible
City Chs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, City Chs ranks #6 of 16 high schools in Pittsburgh, PA.
School address
District: City Chs · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420009400663 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
48.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How City Chs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at City Chs
City Chs is a higher-need, mid-sized charter high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, enrolling 594 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 59.7% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 594 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 272 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #81.
Its student body is led by African American (60%) and White (25%) (diversity index 57/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 99 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 169 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 594 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 23 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Pittsburgh's high schools, it stands alongside Mt Lebanon Shs (1,772 students): City Chs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.4:1 vs 14.1:1).
City Chs is a single-school charter district, so City Chs operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 City Chs compares
City Chs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.4:1 | ▼ 9% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.7% | ▲ 3% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 594 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.4:1
Leaner classes than 72% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
594
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
12.4:1
students per teacher
- 9% below state mean
Top 35% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$20,213
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors6.0 FTE
Per 99 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 169 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 28.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 23 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
African American 59.9%
White 24.9%
Two or More 11.3%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
Asian 1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 59.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.6, City Chs is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for City Chs, which includes City Chs.
$20,213
Per student
+12%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 91.6%
State 0.3%
Federal 8.1%
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.
Similar high schools in Pittsburgh
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Mt Lebanon Shs
Standard public school
1,772 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
North Hills Shs
Standard public school
1,443 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Pittsburgh Allderdice Hs
Standard public school
1,386 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Fox Chapel Area Hs
Standard public school
1,360 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Upper Saint Clair Hs
Standard public school
1,269 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Shaler Area Hs
Standard public school
1,160 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
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 (~594 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on City Chs's federal record.
- Compare City Chs against another school. Compare schools
- City Chs'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 City Chs
How many students attend City Chs?
City Chs has 594 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at City Chs?
The student-teacher ratio at City Chs is 12.4:1, which is 9% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 21% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at City Chs?
59.7% of students at City Chs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of City Chs?
The largest demographic group at City Chs is African American at 59.9% of enrollment, in Pittsburgh, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for City Chs?
City Chs has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does City Chs rank among high schools in Pittsburgh?
By Resource Investment Index, City Chs ranks #6 of 16 high schools in Pittsburgh, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Pittsburgh on the city page.
Is City Chs a good school?
City Chs earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. 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 City Chs?
None; City Chs is a single-school charter district, and City Chs is its only campus.
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.