Enrollment
563
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Mars, PA
Mars Area Ms
Federal NCES profile for Mars Area Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 421479005363
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mars Area Ms earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #3 of 5
- public schools in Mars · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 10.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Mars Area Ms has class sizes larger than 81% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mars Area Ms ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Mars, PA.
School address
District: Mars Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421479005363 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-82% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mars Area Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mars Area Ms
Mars Area Ms is a lower-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Mars, Pennsylvania, enrolling 563 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.3% free-meal eligibility runs 82% below the Pennsylvania average.
Enrollment of 563 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 311 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #252, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 563 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Mars Area Sd spends $12,202 per pupil, 32% below the Pennsylvania average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Mars Area Sd also operates Mars Area Shs (1,044 students) and Mars Area El Sch (880 students) alongside Mars Area 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 Mars Area Ms compares
Mars Area 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.3% | ▼ 82% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 563 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
563
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 82% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 81% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$12,202
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 563 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
20
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 92.4%
Asian 4.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
Two or More 1.1%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 92.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.4, Mars Area Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mars Area Sd, which includes Mars Area Ms.
$12,202
Per student
-32%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 70.2%
State 26.0%
Federal 3.8%
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 Mars Area Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Area Shs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mars Area El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mars Area Centennial Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mars Area Primary Ctr | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mars Area Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,044
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 880
- Students per teacher
- 17.3:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 627
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~563 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mars Area Ms's federal record.
- Compare Mars Area Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Mars 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 Mars Area Ms
How many students attend Mars Area Ms?
Mars Area Ms has 563 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Mars, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mars Area Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Mars Area Ms is 15.6:1, which is 15% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mars Area Ms?
10.3% of students at Mars Area Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mars Area Ms?
The largest demographic group at Mars Area Ms is White at 92.4% of enrollment, in Mars, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mars Area Ms?
Mars Area Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 Mars Area Ms rank among public schools in Mars?
By Resource Investment Index, Mars Area Ms ranks #3 of 5 public schools in Mars, 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 Mars on the city page.
Is Mars Area Ms a good school?
Mars Area Ms earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% 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 Mars Area Sd?
Besides Mars Area Ms, Mars Area Sd also operates Mars Area Shs (1,044 students), Mars Area El Sch (880 students), and Mars Area Centennial Sch (627 students). See the Mars 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.