Enrollment
261
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Palmerton, PA
Palmerton Area Jhs
Federal NCES profile for Palmerton Area Jhs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 421836007174
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palmerton Area Jhs earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Palmerton · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.7:1
- students per teacher
- 39.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Palmerton Area Jhs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palmerton Area Jhs ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Palmerton, PA.
School address
District: Palmerton Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421836007174 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmerton Area Jhs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palmerton Area Jhs
Palmerton Area Jhs is a mid-sized middle school in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, enrolling 261 students.
At 13.7:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Pennsylvania median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 261 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 306 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #260, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 261 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Palmerton Area Sd also operates Palmerton Area Hs (478 students) and S S Palmer El Sch (399 students) alongside Palmerton Area Jhs.
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 Jhs compares
Palmerton Area Jhs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.7:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.3% | ▼ 32% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 261 | top 83% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.7:1
Leaner classes than 60% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
261
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
13.7:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 57% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 43% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
39.5%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 261 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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 89.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Two or More 1.5%
African American 0.8%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 89.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.6, Palmerton Area Jhs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Palmerton Area Sd, which includes Palmerton Area Jhs.
$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 Jhs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmerton Area Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| S S Palmer El Sch | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Towamensing El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parkside Education Center | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palmerton Area Jhs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 478
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
- 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
- 150
- Students per teacher
- 11.5:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
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 (~261 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palmerton Area Jhs's federal record.
- Compare Palmerton Area Jhs 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 Jhs
How many students attend Palmerton Area Jhs?
Palmerton Area Jhs has 261 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Palmerton, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmerton Area Jhs?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmerton Area Jhs is 13.7:1, which is 1% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 13% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palmerton Area Jhs?
39.3% of students at Palmerton Area Jhs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmerton Area Jhs?
The largest demographic group at Palmerton Area Jhs is White at 89.3% of enrollment, in Palmerton, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmerton Area Jhs?
Palmerton Area Jhs has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Palmerton Area Jhs rank among public schools in Palmerton?
By Resource Investment Index, Palmerton Area Jhs ranks #2 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 Jhs a good school?
Palmerton Area Jhs earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. 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 Jhs, Palmerton Area Sd also operates Palmerton Area Hs (478 students), S S Palmer El Sch (399 students), and Towamensing El Sch (328 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.