Enrollment
478
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Palmerton, PA
Palmerton Area Hs
Federal NCES profile for Palmerton Area Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 421836004734
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 52
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palmerton Area Hs earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Palmerton · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- small classes for Pennsylvania
- 29.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Palmerton Area Hs has class sizes smaller than 73% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palmerton Area Hs ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Palmerton, PA.
School address
District: Palmerton Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421836004734 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmerton Area Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palmerton Area Hs
Palmerton Area Hs is a mid-sized high school in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, enrolling 478 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 29.3% of students eligible for free meals.
With 478 students, its enrollment sits close to the Pennsylvania median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 639 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #239.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 239 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Palmerton Area Sd also operates S S Palmer El Sch (399 students) and Towamensing El Sch (328 students) alongside Palmerton 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 Palmerton Area Hs compares
Palmerton 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 | 11.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.3% | ▼ 50% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 478 | top 47% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
478
Bigger than 59% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 27% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.6%
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
$16,623
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 239 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
43
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 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 87.2%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
Two or More 1.9%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.0, Palmerton Area Hs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palmerton Area Sd, which includes Palmerton Area Hs.
$16,623
Per student
-7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+0%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 56.4%
State 36.3%
Federal 7.2%
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 Palmerton Area Hs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| S S Palmer El Sch | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Towamensing El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Palmerton Area Jhs | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Parkside Education Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palmerton Area Hs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 399
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 328
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 261
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 150
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~478 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palmerton Area Hs's federal record.
- Compare Palmerton Area Hs against another school. Compare schools
- Palmerton 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 Palmerton Area Hs
How many students attend Palmerton Area Hs?
Palmerton Area Hs has 478 students enrolled. It is a high school in Palmerton, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmerton Area Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmerton Area Hs is 11.9:1, which is 12% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 24% 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 Palmerton Area Hs?
29.3% of students at Palmerton Area Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmerton Area Hs?
The largest demographic group at Palmerton Area Hs is White at 87.2% of enrollment, in Palmerton, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmerton Area Hs?
Palmerton Area Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical 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 Palmerton Area Hs rank among public schools in Palmerton?
By Resource Investment Index, Palmerton Area Hs ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Palmerton, 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 Palmerton on the city page.
Is Palmerton Area Hs a good school?
Palmerton Area Hs earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 73% 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 Palmerton Area Sd?
Besides Palmerton Area Hs, Palmerton Area Sd also operates S S Palmer El Sch (399 students), Towamensing El Sch (328 students), and Palmerton Area Jhs (261 students). See the Palmerton 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.