High school (grades 9-12) · Mercersburg, PA

James Buchanan Hs

Federal NCES profile for James Buchanan Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 29/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 422274006280
Compare schools View district
Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10029/100
👥 S:T ratio
39
🌟 Gifted program
30
🎓 Counselors
28
📋 Attendance
21
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

James Buchanan Hs earns 29/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 79% of Pennsylvania schools.

#4 of 5
public schools in Mercersburg · Resource Index
29
Resource Index · Lower
15.3:1
large classes for Pennsylvania
93.5%
free-lunch eligible

James Buchanan Hs has class sizes larger than 79% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, James Buchanan Hs ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Mercersburg, PA.

School address

Mercersburg, PA 17236
District: Tuscarora Sd · Pennsylvania

NCES ID 422274006280 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-29 students YoY

James Buchanan Hs held near 706 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-29 headcount).

Teacher FTE held 47.6 → 47.7 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Steady CCD campus

-29 students YoY 422274006280 · Mercersburg, PA High · MID · TRAD

721 enr · 15.3:1 · 93.5% lunch · RII 29

Nearest enrollment peer: James Buchanan Ms (535 students)

James Buchanan Hs held near 706 students from 2022-23 to 2023-24 (-29 headcount). Teacher FTE held 47.6 → 47.7 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Pennsylvania schools → · Find another →

James Buchanan Hs in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows James Buchanan Hs reports 721 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How James Buchanan Hs compares

James Buchanan Hs held steady on CCD headcount: ratios and free-lunch share vs Pennsylvania and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Pennsylvania Pennsylvania avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 15.3:1 ▲ 13% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 93.5% ▲ 61% 58.1% 51.7%
Enrollment 721 top 20% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

15.3:1
Leaner classes than 44% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
721
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
93.5%
free-lunch eligible - 61% 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
15.3:1
students per teacher - 13% above state mean
Top 79% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 21% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
31.8%
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
$16,360
per pupil, district-wide - below Pennsylvania avg of $18,725
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 361 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.

Student demographics

White 91.3%
Two or More 4.2%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
African American 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Largest group: White at 91.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 16.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 16.4, James Buchanan Hs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.

Programs

AP courses offered 19

District finance for Tuscarora Sd reports $16,360 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How James Buchanan Hs Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
James Buchanan Ms Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
St Thomas El Sch Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Mercersburg El Sch Smaller Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Montgomery El Sch Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Mountain View El Sch Smaller Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to James Buchanan Hs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Tuscarora Sd · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide high schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~721 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.3:1)

Frequently asked questions about James Buchanan Hs

How many students attend James Buchanan Hs?

James Buchanan Hs has 721 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mercersburg, PA. CCD year-over-year: 735 (2022-23) → 706 (2023-24), nearly flat (-29).

What is the student-teacher ratio at James Buchanan Hs?

The student-teacher ratio at James Buchanan Hs is 15.3:1, which is 13% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at James Buchanan Hs?

93.5% of students at James Buchanan Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James Buchanan Hs?

The largest demographic group at James Buchanan Hs is White at 91.3% of enrollment, in Mercersburg, PA.

What is the Resource Investment Index for James Buchanan Hs?

James Buchanan Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does James Buchanan Hs rank among public schools in Mercersburg?

By Resource Investment Index, James Buchanan Hs ranks #4 of 5 public schools in Mercersburg, 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 Mercersburg on the city page.

What other schools are in Tuscarora Sd?

Besides James Buchanan Hs, Tuscarora Sd also operates James Buchanan Ms (535 students), St Thomas El Sch (297 students), and Mercersburg El Sch (232 students). See the Tuscarora Sd district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

View saved
Compiled from official source data by .