Enrollment
1,044
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mars, PA
Mars Area Shs
Federal NCES profile for Mars Area Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 421479001159
👥 S:T ratio 40
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mars Area Shs earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 5
- public schools in Mars · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.1:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 10.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Mars Area Shs has class sizes larger than 77% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mars Area Shs ranks #1 of 5 public schools in Mars, PA.
School address
District: Mars Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421479001159 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
10.9%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-81% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mars Area Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mars Area Shs
Mars Area Shs is a lower-poverty, large high school in Mars, Pennsylvania, enrolling 1,044 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.1:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 10.9% free-meal eligibility runs 81% below the Pennsylvania average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Pennsylvania, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,044 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 170 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #77.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 298 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
15.3% 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.
Mars Area Sd also operates Mars Area El Sch (880 students) and Mars Area Centennial Sch (627 students) alongside Mars Area Shs.
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 Shs compares
Mars Area Shs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.1:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 10.9% | ▼ 81% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,044 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.1:1
Leaner classes than 46% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,044
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
10.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 81% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
- 11% above state mean
Top 77% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 23% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
15.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors3.5 FTE
Per 298 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
64
in-school suspensions + 26 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.6 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 93.6%
Asian 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino 1.9%
African American 1.0%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: White at 93.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.2, Mars Area Shs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mars Area Sd, which includes Mars Area Shs.
$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 Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mars Area El Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mars Area Centennial Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mars Area Ms | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mars Area Primary Ctr | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Mars Area Shs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 506
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~1,044 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mars Area Shs's federal record.
- Compare Mars Area Shs 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 Shs
How many students attend Mars Area Shs?
Mars Area Shs has 1,044 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mars, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mars Area Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at Mars Area Shs is 15.1:1, which is 11% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Mars Area Shs?
10.9% of students at Mars Area Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mars Area Shs?
The largest demographic group at Mars Area Shs is White at 93.6% of enrollment, in Mars, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mars Area Shs?
Mars Area Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 Mars Area Shs rank among public schools in Mars?
By Resource Investment Index, Mars Area Shs ranks #1 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 Shs a good school?
Mars Area Shs earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 77% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less 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 Mars Area Sd?
Besides Mars Area Shs, Mars Area Sd also operates Mars Area El Sch (880 students), Mars Area Centennial Sch (627 students), and Mars Area Ms (563 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.