Enrollment
763
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Elizabeth, PA
Elizabeth Forward Shs
Federal NCES profile for Elizabeth Forward Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420909000144
👥 S:T ratio 40
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 20
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Elizabeth Forward Shs earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Elizabeth · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 30.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Elizabeth Forward Shs has class sizes larger than 76% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Elizabeth Forward Shs ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Elizabeth, PA.
School address
District: Elizabeth Forward Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420909000144 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
51.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.2%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Elizabeth Forward Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Elizabeth Forward Shs
Elizabeth Forward Shs is a mid-sized high school in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, enrolling 763 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 30.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 763 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 515 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #418, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 305 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Elizabeth Forward Sd also operates Elizabeth Forward Ms (538 students) and William Penn El Sch (333 students) alongside Elizabeth Forward 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 Elizabeth Forward Shs compares
Elizabeth Forward 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 | 15:1 | ▲ 10% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.2% | ▼ 48% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 763 | top 17% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15:1
Leaner classes than 47% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
763
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
30.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
15:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 76% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.1%
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
$17,215
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 305 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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
White 89.6%
African American 4.1%
Two or More 3.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 89.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.4, Elizabeth Forward Shs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Elizabeth Forward Sd, which includes Elizabeth Forward Shs.
$17,215
Per student
-4%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+4%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.8%
State 40.8%
Federal 6.3%
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 Elizabeth Forward Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Forward Ms | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| William Penn El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Central El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mt Vernon El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Greenock El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Elizabeth Forward Shs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 538
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 333
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 194
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 173
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
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 (~763 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Elizabeth Forward Shs's federal record.
- Compare Elizabeth Forward Shs against another school. Compare schools
- Elizabeth Forward 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 Elizabeth Forward Shs
How many students attend Elizabeth Forward Shs?
Elizabeth Forward Shs has 763 students enrolled. It is a high school in Elizabeth, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Elizabeth Forward Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at Elizabeth Forward Shs is 15:1, which is 10% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Elizabeth Forward Shs?
30.2% of students at Elizabeth Forward Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Elizabeth Forward Shs?
The largest demographic group at Elizabeth Forward Shs is White at 89.6% of enrollment, in Elizabeth, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Elizabeth Forward Shs?
Elizabeth Forward Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical 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 Elizabeth Forward Shs rank among public schools in Elizabeth?
By Resource Investment Index, Elizabeth Forward Shs ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Elizabeth, 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 Elizabeth on the city page.
Is Elizabeth Forward Shs a good school?
Elizabeth Forward Shs earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% 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 Elizabeth Forward Sd?
Besides Elizabeth Forward Shs, Elizabeth Forward Sd also operates Elizabeth Forward Ms (538 students), William Penn El Sch (333 students), and Central El Sch (292 students). See the Elizabeth Forward 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.