Enrollment
4,879
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Reading, PA
Reading Shs
Federal NCES profile for Reading Shs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 422004000859
👥 S:T ratio 18
📚 AP courses 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Reading Shs earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Pennsylvania.
- #3 of 3
- high schools in Reading · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 20.4:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 85.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Reading Shs has class sizes larger than 98% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Reading Shs ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Reading, PA.
School address
District: Reading Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422004000859 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
239.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+50% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
85.7%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Reading Shs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Reading Shs
Reading Shs is a high-poverty, large high school in Reading, Pennsylvania, enrolling 4,879 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.4:1 is larger than about 98% of Pennsylvania schools and 50% 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 85.7% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Pennsylvania, bigger than 99% of state schools at 4,879 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Its student body is predominantly Hispanic or Latino (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 9 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 444 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
The surrounding Reading Sd spends $13,219 per pupil, 26% below the Pennsylvania average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 55 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Reading's high schools, it stands alongside Exeter Twp Shs (1,312 students): Reading Shs is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (20.4:1 vs 15.8:1).
Reading Sd also operates Central Ms (1,785 students) and Northeast Ms (868 students) alongside Reading 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 Reading Shs compares
Reading 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 | 20.4:1 | ▲ 50% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 85.7% | ▲ 48% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 4,879 | top 1% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.4:1
Leaner classes than 15% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
4,879
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
85.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% 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
20.4:1
students per teacher
- 50% above state mean
Top 98% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Funding equity
$13,219
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
Counselors11.0 FTE
Per 444 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
50
in-school suspensions + 712 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 55 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
Hispanic or Latino 87.5%
African American 6.9%
White 4.1%
Two or More 1.2%
Asian 0.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 87.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.8, Reading Shs is less mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
AP courses offered 9
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Reading Sd, which includes Reading Shs.
$13,219
Per student
-26%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 15.9%
State 70.2%
Federal 13.9%
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 Reading Shs Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Ms | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northeast Ms | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northwest Ms | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Amanda E Stout El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Riverside El Sch | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Reading Shs's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,785
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 868
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 821
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 758
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 694
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 16/100
Similar high schools in Reading
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 Pennsylvania, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~4,879 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~20.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Reading Shs's federal record.
- Compare Reading Shs against another school. Compare schools
- Reading 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 Reading Shs
How many students attend Reading Shs?
Reading Shs has 4,879 students enrolled. It is a high school in Reading, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Reading Shs?
The student-teacher ratio at Reading Shs is 20.4:1, which is 50% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 30% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Reading Shs?
85.7% of students at Reading Shs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Reading Shs?
The largest demographic group at Reading Shs is Hispanic or Latino at 87.5% of enrollment, in Reading, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Reading Shs?
Reading Shs has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Reading Shs rank among high schools in Reading?
By Resource Investment Index, Reading Shs ranks #3 of 3 high schools in Reading, 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 Reading on the city page.
Is Reading Shs a good school?
Reading Shs earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Pennsylvania schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Pennsylvania. 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 Reading Sd?
Besides Reading Shs, Reading Sd also operates Central Ms (1,785 students), Northeast Ms (868 students), and Northwest Ms (821 students). See the Reading 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.