Enrollment
579
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Swissvale, PA
Dickson Prep Steam Academy
Federal NCES profile for Dickson Prep Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 421650007670
👥 S:T ratio 59
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dickson Prep Steam Academy earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Pennsylvania schools.
- 43
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.2:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 579
- students enrolled
Dickson Prep Steam Academy has class sizes smaller than 90% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Woodland Hills Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421650007670 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
57.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dickson Prep Steam Academy compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dickson Prep Steam Academy
Dickson Prep Steam Academy is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, enrolling 579 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 10.2:1, Dickson Prep Steam Academy is leaner than roughly 90% of Pennsylvania schools and 25% 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 579 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 480 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #158.
Its student body is led by African American (63%) and White (19%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 290 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 73.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 308 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 579 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Woodland Hills Sd also operates Woodland Hills Hs (1,006 students) and Turtle Creek El Steam Academy (580 students) alongside Dickson Prep Steam 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 Dickson Prep Steam Academy compares
Dickson Prep Steam 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 | 10.2:1 | ▼ 25% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 579 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.2:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
579
Bigger than 71% 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
10.2:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 10% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
73.4%
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
$21,014
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 290 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
205
in-school suspensions + 103 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 35.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 53.2 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
African American 63.0%
White 19.0%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Two or More 7.8%
Asian 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 63.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.3, Dickson Prep Steam Academy is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Woodland Hills Sd, which includes Dickson Prep Steam Academy.
$21,014
Per student
+17%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+27%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 55.8%
State 33.2%
Federal 11.0%
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 Dickson Prep Steam Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodland Hills Hs | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Turtle Creek El Steam Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Edgewood El Steam Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Wilkins El Steam Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dickson Prep Steam Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,006
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 580
- Students per teacher
- 13.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 516
- Students per teacher
- 11:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar middle 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 (~579 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dickson Prep Steam Academy's federal record.
- Compare Dickson Prep Steam Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Woodland Hills 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 Dickson Prep Steam Academy
How many students attend Dickson Prep Steam Academy?
Dickson Prep Steam Academy has 579 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Swissvale, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dickson Prep Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Dickson Prep Steam Academy is 10.2:1, which is 25% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 35% 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 Dickson Prep Steam Academy?
100.0% of students at Dickson Prep Steam Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dickson Prep Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Dickson Prep Steam Academy is African American at 63.0% of enrollment, in Swissvale, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dickson Prep Steam Academy?
Dickson Prep Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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).
Is Dickson Prep Steam Academy a good school?
Dickson Prep Steam Academy earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% 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 Woodland Hills Sd?
Besides Dickson Prep Steam Academy, Woodland Hills Sd also operates Woodland Hills Hs (1,006 students), Turtle Creek El Steam Academy (580 students), and Edgewood El Steam Academy (516 students). See the Woodland Hills 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.