Enrollment
742
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Hershey, PA
Hershey Ms
Federal NCES profile for Hershey Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 420759006678
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 37
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Hershey Ms earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 6
- public schools in Hershey · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 25.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Hershey Ms has class sizes smaller than 80% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Hershey Ms ranks #2 of 6 public schools in Hershey, PA.
School address
District: Derry Township Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420759006678 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
65.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
25.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Hershey Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Hershey Ms
Hershey Ms is a mid-sized middle school in Hershey, Pennsylvania, enrolling 742 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 25.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 742 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 502 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #154.
Its student body is led by White (62%) and Asian (17%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 247 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Derry Township Sd also operates Hershey Hs (1,050 students) and Hershey Intrmd El Sch (479 students) alongside Hershey Ms.
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 Ms compares
Hershey Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.4:1 | ▼ 16% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 25.0% | ▼ 57% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 742 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.4:1
Leaner classes than 80% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
742
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
25.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
- 16% below state mean
Top 20% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
25.1%
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
$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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 247 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
30
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 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
White 61.7%
Asian 17.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.6%
African American 6.3%
Two or More 4.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 61.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.4, Hershey Ms is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Derry Township Sd, which includes Hershey Ms.
$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 Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hershey Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hershey Intrmd El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hershey Primary El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hershey Early Childhood Ctr | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Hershey Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,050
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- 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 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 (~742 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Hershey Ms's federal record.
- Compare Hershey Ms 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 Ms
How many students attend Hershey Ms?
Hershey Ms has 742 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Hershey, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Hershey Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Hershey Ms is 11.4:1, which is 16% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 27% 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 Ms?
25.0% of students at Hershey Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Hershey Ms?
The largest demographic group at Hershey Ms is White at 61.7% of enrollment, in Hershey, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Hershey Ms?
Hershey Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Hershey Ms rank among public schools in Hershey?
By Resource Investment Index, Hershey Ms ranks #2 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 Ms a good school?
Hershey Ms earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 80% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Derry Township Sd?
Besides Hershey Ms, Derry Township Sd also operates Hershey Hs (1,050 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.