Enrollment
1,272
Maryland · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Salisbury, MD
Parkside High
Federal NCES profile for Parkside High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 240069001309
👥 S:T ratio 52
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 17
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Parkside High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Maryland schools.
- #2 of 4
- high schools in Salisbury · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.1:1
- small classes for Maryland
- 44.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Parkside High has class sizes smaller than 81% of Maryland schools. Computed live against every Maryland school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Parkside High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Salisbury, MD.
School address
District: Wicomico County Public Schools · Maryland
NCES ID 240069001309 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
105.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.1:1
vs 14.5:1 Maryland avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.9%
vs 49.0% Maryland avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Parkside High compares with Maryland and U.S. medians
What stands out at Parkside High
Parkside High is a large high school in Salisbury, Maryland, enrolling 1,272 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Maryland schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 44.9% lands close to the Maryland typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Maryland, bigger than 92% of state schools at 1,272 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,382 scored Maryland schools.
Against 129 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #41.
Its student body is led by White (45%) and African American (33%) (diversity index 67/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 318 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Salisbury's high schools, it stands alongside James M. Bennett High (1,474 students): Parkside High is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.1:1 vs 15.5:1).
Wicomico County Public Schools also operates James M. Bennett High (1,474 students) and Wicomico High (1,304 students) alongside Parkside High.
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 Parkside High compares
Parkside High on the metrics families compare, against Maryland and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Maryland | Maryland avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.1:1 | ▼ 17% | 14.5:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.9% | ▼ 8% | 49.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,272 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.1:1
Leaner classes than 75% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,272
Bigger than 95% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% below the Maryland average of 49.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.1:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 19% in Maryland - lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.3%
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
$17,780
per pupil, district-wide
- below Maryland avg of $20,446
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 318 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 90 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 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 45.2%
African American 32.7%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
Two or More 6.3%
Asian 3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 45.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 67.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 67.0, Parkside High is more mixed than the Maryland school average of 52.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Wicomico County Public Schools, which includes Parkside High.
$17,780
Per student
-13%
vs Maryland
Avg $20,446
+7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.7%
State 66.2%
Federal 14.1%
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 Parkside High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| James M. Bennett High | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Wicomico High | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prince Street School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Bennett Middle | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Delmar Elementary | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Parkside High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,474
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,304
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 976
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 29/100
- Enrollment
- 963
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 914
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high schools in Salisbury
3 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Maryland, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~1,272 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.1:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Parkside High's federal record.
- Compare Parkside High against another school. Compare schools
- Wicomico County Public Schools'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 Parkside High
How many students attend Parkside High?
Parkside High has 1,272 students enrolled. It is a high school in Salisbury, MD.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Parkside High?
The student-teacher ratio at Parkside High is 12.1:1, which is 17% lower than the Maryland average of 14.5:1 and 23% 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 Parkside High?
44.9% of students at Parkside High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Maryland average of 49.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Parkside High?
The largest demographic group at Parkside High is White at 45.2% of enrollment, in Salisbury, MD. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 67.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Parkside High?
Parkside High has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Parkside High rank among high schools in Salisbury?
By Resource Investment Index, Parkside High ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Salisbury, MD. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Salisbury on the city page.
Is Parkside High a good school?
Parkside High earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 81% of Maryland 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 Wicomico County Public Schools?
Besides Parkside High, Wicomico County Public Schools also operates James M. Bennett High (1,474 students), Wicomico High (1,304 students), and Prince Street School (976 students). See the Wicomico County Public Schools 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.