Enrollment
406
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Shickshinny, PA
Northwest Area Hs
Federal NCES profile for Northwest Area Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 50/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 421779002958
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 59
📋 Attendance 15
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Northwest Area Hs earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Pennsylvania schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Shickshinny · Resource Index
- 50
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 38.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Northwest Area Hs has class sizes smaller than 81% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Northwest Area Hs ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Shickshinny, PA.
School address
District: Northwest Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421779002958 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-35% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northwest Area Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northwest Area Hs
Northwest Area Hs is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania, enrolling 406 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 38.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 406 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 640 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #295.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 203 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Shickshinny's public schools, it stands alongside Northwest Area Primary Sch (215 students): Northwest Area Hs is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (11.3:1 vs 17.9:1).
Northwest Area Sd also operates Northwest Area Intermediate Sch (260 students) and Northwest Area Primary Sch (215 students) alongside Northwest Area 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 Northwest Area Hs compares
Northwest Area 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.0% | ▼ 35% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 406 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
406
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
38.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 35% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 19% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.0%
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
$19,941
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 203 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 42 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.1 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 93.8%
Two or More 3.7%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
African American 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 93.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.8, Northwest Area Hs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Northwest Area Sd, which includes Northwest Area Hs.
$19,941
Per student
+11%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 55.1%
Federal 9.1%
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 Northwest Area Hs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Area Intermediate Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Northwest Area Primary Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Northwest Area Hs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 260
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 215
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools in Shickshinny
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~406 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northwest Area Hs's federal record.
- Compare Northwest Area Hs against another school. Compare schools
- Northwest 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 Northwest Area Hs
How many students attend Northwest Area Hs?
Northwest Area Hs has 406 students enrolled. It is a public school in Shickshinny, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Northwest Area Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Northwest Area Hs is 11.3:1, which is 17% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 28% 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 Northwest Area Hs?
38.0% of students at Northwest Area Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northwest Area Hs?
The largest demographic group at Northwest Area Hs is White at 93.8% of enrollment, in Shickshinny, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Northwest Area Hs?
Northwest Area Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 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 Northwest Area Hs rank among public schools in Shickshinny?
By Resource Investment Index, Northwest Area Hs ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Shickshinny, 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 Shickshinny on the city page.
Is Northwest Area Hs a good school?
Northwest Area Hs earns 50/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% 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 Northwest Area Sd?
Besides Northwest Area Hs, Northwest Area Sd also operates Northwest Area Intermediate Sch (260 students) and Northwest Area Primary Sch (215 students). See the Northwest 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.