Enrollment
1,160
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 422120000460
Shaler Area Hs — Pittsburgh, PA
Federal NCES profile for Shaler Area Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 52/100.
👥 Class size 52
📚 AP courses 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 26
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Shaler Area Sd · Pennsylvania
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
103.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.5:1 Pennsylvania avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
-43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shaler Area Hs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Shaler Area Hs reports 1,160 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 103.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% below the Pennsylvania state mean of 13.5:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 33.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% below the Pennsylvania average and 36% below the national baseline. The school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 232 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 29.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Shaler Area Sd spends $24,366 per pupil district-wide, above the Pennsylvania average of $22,745 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 63.0% from local sources (property taxes), 30.0% from the state, and 7.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-), calculated from 5 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Shaler Area Hs compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Pennsylvania state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.5:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.1% | ▼ 43% | 58.1% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,160 | top 93% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
33.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% below the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 25% in Pennsylvania — lower ratio than 75% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
29.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$24,366
per pupil, district-wide
— above Pennsylvania avg of $22,745
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 232 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
225
in-school suspensions + 94 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 27.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 8 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,160 Top 93% in Pennsylvania — larger than 7% of 2,930 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 103.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 33.1% -43% vs state
NCES ID 422120000460
Student demographics
White 87.5%
Two or More 3.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.7%
African American 3.4%
Asian 1.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 87.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 12
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 232:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 29.8%
In-school suspensions 225
Out-of-school suspensions 94
Expulsions 8
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shaler Area Sd, which includes Shaler Area Hs.
$24,366
Per student
+7%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $22,745
+25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 63.0%
State 30.0%
Federal 7.0%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 870
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Enrollment
- 589
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Enrollment
- 394
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 339
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 337
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
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 14.6:1 students per teacher
North Hills Shs
Standard public school
1,443 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Pittsburgh Allderdice Hs
Standard public school
1,386 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Fox Chapel Area Hs
Standard public school
1,360 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Upper Saint Clair Hs
Standard public school
1,269 students 14:1 students per teacher
Penn Hills Shs
Standard public school
1,049 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Shaler Area Hs
How many students attend Shaler Area Hs?
Shaler Area Hs has 1,160 students enrolled. It is a high school in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shaler Area Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Shaler Area Hs is 11.9:1, which is 12% lower than the Pennsylvania average of 13.5:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Shaler Area Hs?
33.1% of students at Shaler Area Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shaler Area Hs?
The largest demographic group at Shaler Area Hs is White at 87.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in Pittsburgh, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shaler Area Hs?
Shaler Area Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (C-) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.