Enrollment
982
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Dillsburg, PA
Northern Hs
Federal NCES profile for Northern Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 421776006345
👥 S:T ratio 37
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 51
📋 Attendance 48
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northern Hs earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 5
- public schools in Dillsburg · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.8:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 19.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Northern Hs has class sizes larger than 84% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northern Hs ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Dillsburg, PA.
School address
District: Northern York County Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421776006345 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
19.6%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-66% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northern Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northern Hs
Northern Hs is a lower-poverty, large high school in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, enrolling 982 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 19.6% free-meal eligibility runs 66% below the Pennsylvania average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Pennsylvania, bigger than 90% of state schools at 982 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 296 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #143.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 8 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 246 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Northern York County Sd spends $14,338 per pupil, 20% below the Pennsylvania average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 5 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Northern York County Sd also operates Northern Ms (757 students) and Dillsburg El Sch (440 students) alongside Northern Hs.
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 Northern Hs compares
Northern Hs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.8:1 | ▲ 16% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 19.6% | ▼ 66% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 982 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.8:1
Leaner classes than 40% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
982
Bigger than 91% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
19.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 66% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 84% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.0%
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
$14,338
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 246 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
73
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
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 88.8%
Hispanic or Latino 4.7%
Asian 2.1%
Two or More 2.1%
African American 1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 88.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.8, Northern Hs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 8
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northern York County Sd, which includes Northern Hs.
$14,338
Per student
-20%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.0%
State 29.9%
Federal 5.1%
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 Northern Hs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ms | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dillsburg El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northern El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Mountain El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Wellsville Campus | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northern Hs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 757
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 440
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 397
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- Enrollment
- 244
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
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 (~982 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northern Hs's federal record.
- Compare Northern Hs against another school. Compare schools
- Northern York County 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 Northern Hs
How many students attend Northern Hs?
Northern Hs has 982 students enrolled. It is a high school in Dillsburg, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northern Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Northern Hs is 15.8:1, which is 16% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Northern Hs?
19.6% of students at Northern Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northern Hs?
The largest demographic group at Northern Hs is White at 88.8% of enrollment, in Dillsburg, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northern Hs?
Northern Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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 Northern Hs rank among public schools in Dillsburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Northern Hs ranks #2 of 5 public schools in Dillsburg, 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 Dillsburg on the city page.
Is Northern Hs a good school?
Northern Hs earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% 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 Northern York County Sd?
Besides Northern Hs, Northern York County Sd also operates Northern Ms (757 students), Dillsburg El Sch (440 students), and Northern El Sch (397 students). See the Northern York County 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.