Enrollment
300
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Harrisburg, PA
Cougar Academy
Federal NCES profile for Cougar Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 421158007583
👥 S:T ratio 62
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 70
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cougar Academy earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 5
- schools in Harrisburg · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 9.4:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Cougar Academy has class sizes smaller than 94% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cougar Academy ranks #2 of 5 schools in Harrisburg, PA.
School address
District: Harrisburg City Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421158007583 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cougar Academy compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cougar Academy
Cougar Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, enrolling 300 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.4:1, Cougar Academy is leaner than roughly 94% of Pennsylvania schools and 31% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 300 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.
Against 391 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #205.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (53%) and African American (42%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 150 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 42.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Harrisburg's public schools, it stands alongside Commonwealth Charter Academy Cs (29,320 students): Cougar Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.4:1 vs 25.1:1).
Harrisburg City Sd also operates Harrisburg Hs (1,343 students) and Camp Curtin Academy (724 students) alongside Cougar Academy.
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 Cougar Academy compares
Cougar Academy on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 9.4:1 | ▼ 31% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.4:1
Leaner classes than 91% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
300
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
9.4:1
students per teacher
- 31% below state mean
Top 6% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 94% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
42.7%
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
$16,794
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 150 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
Hispanic or Latino 52.7%
African American 42.3%
Two or More 4.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 52.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.1, Cougar Academy is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Harrisburg City Sd, which includes Cougar Academy.
$16,794
Per student
-7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+1%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 32.6%
State 50.1%
Federal 17.3%
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 Cougar Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harrisburg Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Camp Curtin Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Benjamin Franklin Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Melrose Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Foose Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cougar Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,343
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 17/100
- Enrollment
- 724
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 13/100
- Enrollment
- 678
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 26/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 27/100
- Enrollment
- 522
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
Similar other schools in Harrisburg
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Commonwealth Charter Academy Cs
Standard public school
29,320 students 25.1:1 students per teacher
Reach Cyber Cs
Standard public school
5,721 students 11.8:1 students per teacher
Benjamin Franklin Sch
Standard public school
678 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Foose Sch
Standard public school
522 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
Similar other 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 (~300 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~9.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cougar Academy's federal record.
- Compare Cougar Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Harrisburg City 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 Cougar Academy
How many students attend Cougar Academy?
Cougar Academy has 300 students enrolled. It is a public school in Harrisburg, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cougar Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Cougar Academy is 9.4:1, which is 31% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 40% 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 Cougar Academy?
100.0% of students at Cougar Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cougar Academy?
The largest demographic group at Cougar Academy is Hispanic or Latino at 52.7% of enrollment, in Harrisburg, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cougar Academy?
Cougar Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cougar Academy rank among schools in Harrisburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Cougar Academy ranks #2 of 5 schools in Harrisburg, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Harrisburg on the city page.
Is Cougar Academy a good school?
Cougar Academy earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 94% 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 Harrisburg City Sd?
Besides Cougar Academy, Harrisburg City Sd also operates Harrisburg Hs (1,343 students), Camp Curtin Academy (724 students), and Benjamin Franklin Sch (678 students). See the Harrisburg City 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.