Enrollment
1,126
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Palmyra, PA
Palmyra Area Shs
Federal NCES profile for Palmyra Area Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 421839002766
👥 S:T ratio 36
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 58
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palmyra Area Shs earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #5 of 6
- public schools in Palmyra · Resource Index
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.1:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 22.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Palmyra Area Shs has class sizes larger than 86% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Palmyra Area Shs ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Palmyra, PA.
School address
District: Palmyra Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421839002766 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
70.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.3%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-62% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmyra Area Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palmyra Area Shs
Palmyra Area Shs is a large high school in Palmyra, Pennsylvania, enrolling 1,126 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.1:1 is larger than about 86% of Pennsylvania schools and 18% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.3% free-meal eligibility runs 62% below the Pennsylvania average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Pennsylvania, bigger than 93% of state schools at 1,126 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 246 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #91.
Its student body is predominantly White (81% of enrollment) (diversity index 34/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.9% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Palmyra Area Sd spends $13,215 per pupil, 26% below the Pennsylvania average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Palmyra Area Sd also operates Palmyra Area Ms (820 students) and Lingle Avenue El Sch (547 students) alongside Palmyra 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 Palmyra Area Shs compares
Palmyra 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 | 16.1:1 | ▲ 18% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.3% | ▼ 62% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,126 | top 7% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.1:1
Leaner classes than 37% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
1,126
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 62% 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
16.1:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 86% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 14% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,215
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
23
in-school suspensions + 52 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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 80.6%
Asian 7.1%
Hispanic or Latino 6.6%
Two or More 3.8%
African American 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 80.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 33.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 33.9, Palmyra 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 Palmyra Area Sd, which includes Palmyra Area Shs.
$13,215
Per student
-26%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 65.6%
State 26.9%
Federal 7.5%
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 Palmyra Area Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmyra Area Ms | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lingle Avenue El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Pine Street El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Forge Road El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northside El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palmyra Area Shs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 820
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 547
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 341
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 229
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
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 (~1,126 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palmyra Area Shs's federal record.
- Compare Palmyra Area Shs against another school. Compare schools
- Palmyra 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 Palmyra Area Shs
How many students attend Palmyra Area Shs?
Palmyra Area Shs has 1,126 students enrolled. It is a high school in Palmyra, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmyra Area Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmyra Area Shs is 16.1:1, which is 18% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 3% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Palmyra Area Shs?
22.3% of students at Palmyra Area Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmyra Area Shs?
The largest demographic group at Palmyra Area Shs is White at 80.6% of enrollment, in Palmyra, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmyra Area Shs?
Palmyra Area Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (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 Palmyra Area Shs rank among public schools in Palmyra?
By Resource Investment Index, Palmyra Area Shs ranks #5 of 6 public schools in Palmyra, 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 Palmyra on the city page.
Is Palmyra Area Shs a good school?
Palmyra Area Shs earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 86% 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 Palmyra Area Sd?
Besides Palmyra Area Shs, Palmyra Area Sd also operates Palmyra Area Ms (820 students), Lingle Avenue El Sch (547 students), and Pine Street El Sch (342 students). See the Palmyra 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.