Enrollment
217
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Harrisburg, PA
Sylvan Heights Science Cs
Federal NCES profile for Sylvan Heights Science Cs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 32/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 420002700366Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 57
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sylvan Heights Science Cs earns 32/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Pennsylvania median.
- #18 of 22
- elementary schools in Harrisburg · Resource Index
- 32
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Sylvan Heights Science Cs has class sizes near the Pennsylvania median. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sylvan Heights Science Cs ranks #18 of 22 elementary schools in Harrisburg, PA.
School address
District: Sylvan Heights Science Cs · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 420002700366 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
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 Sylvan Heights Science Cs compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sylvan Heights Science Cs
Sylvan Heights Science Cs is a high-poverty, small charter elementary school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, enrolling 217 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the larger 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 217 puts it in the smaller third of Pennsylvania schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Among 219 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Pennsylvania schools statewide, it ranks #200, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (68%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 217 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 56.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Harrisburg's elementary schools, it stands alongside Thomas W Holtzman Jr El Sch (792 students): Sylvan Heights Science Cs is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.5:1 vs 18.4:1).
Sylvan Heights Science Cs is a single-school charter district, so Sylvan Heights Science Cs operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Sylvan Heights Science Cs compares
Sylvan Heights Science Cs on the metrics families compare, against Pennsylvania and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.5:1 | ▲ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 72% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 217 | top 89% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
217
Bigger than 21% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 7% above state mean
Top 69% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
56.2%
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
$16,883
per pupil, district-wide
- below Pennsylvania avg of $17,970
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 217 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.9 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 68.2%
Hispanic or Latino 26.3%
Two or More 3.7%
White 1.8%
Largest group: African American at 68.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.4, Sylvan Heights Science Cs is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Sylvan Heights Science Cs, which includes Sylvan Heights Science Cs.
$16,883
Per student
-6%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
+2%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 76.0%
State 0.7%
Federal 23.2%
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.
Similar elementary schools in Harrisburg
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Thomas W Holtzman Jr El Sch
Standard public school
792 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Sara Lindemuth El Sch
Standard public school
758 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
North Side El Sch
Standard public school
722 students 16.8:1 students per teacher
Paxtonia El Sch
Standard public school
682 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
South Side El Sch
Standard public school
603 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
West Hanover El Sch
Standard public school
589 students 18.4:1 students per teacher
Similar elementary 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 (~217 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sylvan Heights Science Cs's federal record.
- Compare Sylvan Heights Science Cs against another school. Compare schools
- Sylvan Heights Science Cs'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 Sylvan Heights Science Cs
How many students attend Sylvan Heights Science Cs?
Sylvan Heights Science Cs has 217 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Harrisburg, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sylvan Heights Science Cs?
The student-teacher ratio at Sylvan Heights Science Cs is 14.5:1, which is 7% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 8% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sylvan Heights Science Cs?
100.0% of students at Sylvan Heights Science Cs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sylvan Heights Science Cs?
The largest demographic group at Sylvan Heights Science Cs is African American at 68.2% of enrollment, in Harrisburg, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sylvan Heights Science Cs?
Sylvan Heights Science Cs has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (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 Sylvan Heights Science Cs rank among elementary schools in Harrisburg?
By Resource Investment Index, Sylvan Heights Science Cs ranks #18 of 22 elementary schools in Harrisburg, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Harrisburg on the city page.
Is Sylvan Heights Science Cs a good school?
Sylvan Heights Science Cs earns 32/100 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 Sylvan Heights Science Cs?
None; Sylvan Heights Science Cs is a single-school charter district, and Sylvan Heights Science Cs is its only campus.
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.