Enrollment
1,049
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Pittsburgh, PA
Penn Hills Shs
Federal NCES profile for Penn Hills Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 421859000309
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 48
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Penn Hills Shs earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #14 of 16
- high schools in Pittsburgh · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.9:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 87.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Penn Hills Shs has class sizes larger than 90% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Penn Hills Shs ranks #14 of 16 high schools in Pittsburgh, PA.
School address
District: Penn Hills Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 421859000309 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
62.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
87.9%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Penn Hills Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Penn Hills Shs
Penn Hills Shs is a high-poverty, large high school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, enrolling 1,049 students.
Class loads run heavy: 16.9:1 is larger than about 90% of Pennsylvania schools and 24% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 87.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Pennsylvania, bigger than 91% of state schools at 1,049 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 218 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #95.
Its student body is led by African American (67%) and White (19%) (diversity index 51/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 12 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 262 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The federal civil-rights collection also records 20 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Pittsburgh's high schools, it stands alongside Mt Lebanon Shs (1,772 students): Penn Hills Shs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.9:1 vs 14.1:1).
Penn Hills Sd also operates Penn Hills El Sch (1,228 students) and Linton Ms (626 students) alongside Penn Hills 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 Penn Hills Shs compares
Penn Hills 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 24% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 87.9% | ▲ 51% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,049 | top 9% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,049
Bigger than 92% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
87.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% above the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 24% above state mean
Top 90% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
54.1%
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
$18,935
per pupil, district-wide
- above Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 262 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 172 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 16.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 20 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
African American 67.0%
White 18.7%
Two or More 7.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 67.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.7, Penn Hills Shs is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Penn Hills Sd, which includes Penn Hills Shs.
$18,935
Per student
+5%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+14%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 53.0%
State 34.3%
Federal 12.6%
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 Penn Hills Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Hills El Sch | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Linton Ms | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Penn Hills Shs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,228
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 626
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high schools in Pittsburgh
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Mt Lebanon Shs
Standard public school
1,772 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
North Hills Shs
Standard public school
1,443 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Pittsburgh Allderdice Hs
Standard public school
1,386 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Fox Chapel Area Hs
Standard public school
1,360 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Upper Saint Clair Hs
Standard public school
1,269 students 13.8:1 students per teacher
Shaler Area Hs
Standard public school
1,160 students 11.3:1 students per teacher
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 (~1,049 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Penn Hills Shs's federal record.
- Compare Penn Hills Shs against another school. Compare schools
- Penn Hills 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 Penn Hills Shs
How many students attend Penn Hills Shs?
Penn Hills Shs has 1,049 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Penn Hills Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at Penn Hills Shs is 16.9:1, which is 24% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Penn Hills Shs?
87.9% of students at Penn Hills Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Penn Hills Shs?
The largest demographic group at Penn Hills Shs is African American at 67.0% of enrollment, in Pittsburgh, PA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Penn Hills Shs?
Penn Hills Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Penn Hills Shs rank among high schools in Pittsburgh?
By Resource Investment Index, Penn Hills Shs ranks #14 of 16 high schools in Pittsburgh, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Pittsburgh on the city page.
Is Penn Hills Shs a good school?
Penn Hills Shs earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Penn Hills Sd?
Besides Penn Hills Shs, Penn Hills Sd also operates Penn Hills El Sch (1,228 students) and Linton Ms (626 students). See the Penn Hills 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.