Enrollment
284
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ambridge, PA
Highland El Sch
Federal NCES profile for Highland El Sch, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 420244000800
👥 S:T ratio 54
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Highland El Sch earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% of Pennsylvania schools.
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 11.4:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 99.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 284
- students enrolled
Highland El Sch has class sizes smaller than 80% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Ambridge Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420244000800 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
99.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+71% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Highland El Sch compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Highland El Sch
Highland El Sch is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, enrolling 284 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 above the state's typical profile, with 99.1% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 284 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 94% of the 2,889 Pennsylvania schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 365 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #335, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (60%) and African American (26%) (diversity index 56/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 45.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Ambridge Area Sd spends $14,271 per pupil, 21% below the Pennsylvania average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Ambridge Area Sd also operates Ambridge Area Hs (705 students) and Ambridge Area Ms (500 students) alongside Highland El Sch.
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 Highland El Sch compares
Highland El Sch 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 | 99.1% | ▲ 71% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 284 | top 80% | - | - |
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.
284
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
99.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 71% 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
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
45.1%
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
$14,271
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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 60.2%
African American 25.7%
Two or More 12.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: White at 60.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.7, Highland El Sch is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ambridge Area Sd, which includes Highland El Sch.
$14,271
Per student
-21%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 48.7%
State 39.9%
Federal 11.4%
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 Highland El Sch Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ambridge Area Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ambridge Area Ms | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Economy El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| State Street El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Highland El Sch's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 705
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 500
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 241
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
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 (~284 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Highland El Sch's federal record.
- Compare Highland El Sch against another school. Compare schools
- Ambridge Area 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 Highland El Sch
How many students attend Highland El Sch?
Highland El Sch has 284 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ambridge, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Highland El Sch?
The student-teacher ratio at Highland El Sch 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 Highland El Sch?
99.1% of students at Highland El Sch are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Highland El Sch?
The largest demographic group at Highland El Sch is White at 60.2% of enrollment, in Ambridge, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Highland El Sch?
Highland El Sch has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Highland El Sch a good school?
Highland El Sch earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 80% 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 Ambridge Area Sd?
Besides Highland El Sch, Ambridge Area Sd also operates Ambridge Area Hs (705 students), Ambridge Area Ms (500 students), and Economy El Sch (456 students). See the Ambridge Area 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.