Enrollment
1,050
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Hershey, PA
Hershey Hs
Federal NCES profile for Hershey Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 420759004801
👥 S:T ratio 48
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hershey Hs earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #3 of 6
- public schools in Hershey · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13:1
- students per teacher
- 21.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Hershey Hs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hershey Hs ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Hershey, PA.
School address
District: Derry Township Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420759004801 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
81.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
21.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-64% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hershey Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hershey Hs
Hershey Hs is a large high school in Hershey, Pennsylvania, enrolling 1,050 students.
At 13:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 21.0% free-meal eligibility runs 64% below the Pennsylvania average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Pennsylvania, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,050 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 271 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #180.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Asian (15%) (diversity index 52/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 263 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 31.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Derry Township Sd also operates Hershey Ms (742 students) and Hershey Intrmd El Sch (479 students) alongside Hershey Hs.
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 Hershey Hs compares
Hershey Hs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 21.0% | ▼ 64% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,050 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13:1
Leaner classes than 67% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,050
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
21.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 64% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 44% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
31.5%
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
$18,583
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 263 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
42
in-school suspensions + 39 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.7 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
White 66.5%
Asian 14.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.4%
African American 5.3%
Two or More 3.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 66.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.3, Hershey Hs is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Derry Township Sd, which includes Hershey Hs.
$18,583
Per student
+3%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 73.9%
State 18.8%
Federal 7.3%
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 Hershey Hs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Ms | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hershey Intrmd El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hershey Primary El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hershey Early Childhood Ctr | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hershey Hs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 742
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 479
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 427
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 420
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~1,050 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hershey Hs's federal record.
- Compare Hershey Hs against another school. Compare schools
- Derry Township 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 Hershey Hs
How many students attend Hershey Hs?
Hershey Hs has 1,050 students enrolled. It is a high school in Hershey, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hershey Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Hershey Hs is 13:1, which is 4% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 17% 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 Hershey Hs?
21.0% of students at Hershey Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hershey Hs?
The largest demographic group at Hershey Hs is White at 66.5% of enrollment, in Hershey, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hershey Hs?
Hershey Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher 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 Hershey Hs rank among public schools in Hershey?
By Resource Investment Index, Hershey Hs ranks #3 of 6 public schools in Hershey, 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 Hershey on the city page.
Is Hershey Hs a good school?
Hershey Hs earns 55/100 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 Derry Township Sd?
Besides Hershey Hs, Derry Township Sd also operates Hershey Ms (742 students), Hershey Intrmd El Sch (479 students), and Hershey Primary El Sch (427 students). See the Derry Township 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.