Enrollment
667
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Darby, PA
Penn Wood Ms
Federal NCES profile for Penn Wood Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 422639000943
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Penn Wood Ms earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Darby · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Penn Wood Ms has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Penn Wood Ms ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Darby, PA.
School address
District: William Penn Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422639000943 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+72% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Penn Wood Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Penn Wood Ms
Penn Wood Ms is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Darby, Pennsylvania, enrolling 667 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 667 puts it in the larger third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 442 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #214.
Its student body is predominantly African American (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 25/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 334 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 65.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Discipline events run high: 170 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 667 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
William Penn Sd also operates Penn Wood Hs (1,148 students) and Ardmore Avenue Sch (535 students) alongside Penn Wood Ms.
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 Wood Ms compares
Penn Wood Ms on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 667 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
667
Bigger than 78% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 72% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 38% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
65.5%
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
$19,270
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 334 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
65
in-school suspensions + 105 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 25.5 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
African American 86.1%
Two or More 4.6%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
White 2.2%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 86.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.4, Penn Wood Ms is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for William Penn Sd, which includes Penn Wood Ms.
$19,270
Per student
+7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 45.5%
State 43.1%
Federal 11.4%
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 Wood Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Wood Hs | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ardmore Avenue Sch | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Penn Wood 9th Grade Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| W B Evans Magnet Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Park Lane El Sch | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Penn Wood Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,148
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 535
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 75.8:1
- Resource Index
- 0/100
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 304
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
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 (~667 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Penn Wood Ms's federal record.
- Compare Penn Wood Ms against another school. Compare schools
- William Penn 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 Wood Ms
How many students attend Penn Wood Ms?
Penn Wood Ms has 667 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Darby, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Penn Wood Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Penn Wood Ms is 12.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 20% 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 Penn Wood Ms?
100.0% of students at Penn Wood Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Penn Wood Ms?
The largest demographic group at Penn Wood Ms is African American at 86.1% of enrollment, in Darby, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Penn Wood Ms?
Penn Wood Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (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 Penn Wood Ms rank among public schools in Darby?
By Resource Investment Index, Penn Wood Ms ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Darby, 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 Darby on the city page.
Is Penn Wood Ms a good school?
Penn Wood Ms earns 38/100 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 William Penn Sd?
Besides Penn Wood Ms, William Penn Sd also operates Penn Wood Hs (1,148 students), Ardmore Avenue Sch (535 students), and Penn Wood 9th Grade Academy (379 students). See the William Penn 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.