Enrollment
174
Pennsylvania · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · New Castle, PA
Union Area Ms
Federal NCES profile for Union Area Ms, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 422406007036
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Union Area Ms earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Pennsylvania schools.
- #1 of 4
- middle schools in New Castle · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.4:1
- large classes for Pennsylvania
- 61.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Union Area Ms has class sizes larger than 93% of Pennsylvania schools. Computed live against every Pennsylvania school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Union Area Ms ranks #1 of 4 middle schools in New Castle, PA.
School address
District: Union Area Sd · Pennsylvania
NCES ID 422406007036 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Pennsylvania avg
+28% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.1%
vs 58.1% Pennsylvania avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Union Area Ms compares with Pennsylvania and U.S. medians
What stands out at Union Area Ms
Union Area Ms is a higher-need, small middle school in New Castle, Pennsylvania, enrolling 174 students.
Class loads run heavy: 17.4:1 is larger than about 93% of Pennsylvania schools and 28% 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 61.1% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of Pennsylvania schools, with 174 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 2,889 scored Pennsylvania schools.
Against 71 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #23.
Its student body is led by White (72%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 174 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among New Castle's middle schools, it stands alongside New Castle Jhs (689 students): Union Area Ms is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.4:1 vs 16.8:1).
Union Area Sd also operates Union Memorial El Sch (320 students) and Union Area Hs (193 students) alongside Union Area 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 Union Area Ms compares
Union Area 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 | 17.4:1 | ▲ 28% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 61.1% | ▲ 5% | 58.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 174 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.4:1
Leaner classes than 28% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
174
Bigger than 17% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
61.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
17.4:1
students per teacher
- 28% above state mean
Top 93% in Pennsylvania - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.8%
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
$16,090
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 174 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 15 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 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
White 71.8%
African American 16.7%
Two or More 9.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.7%
Largest group: White at 71.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 44.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 44.7, Union Area Ms is more mixed than the Pennsylvania school average of 37.3.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Union Area Sd, which includes Union Area Ms.
$16,090
Per student
-10%
vs Pennsylvania
Avg $17,970
-3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 34.6%
State 54.8%
Federal 10.5%
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 Union Area Ms Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Memorial El Sch | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Union Area Hs | Similar size | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Union Area Ms's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 320
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 193
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar middle schools in New Castle
3 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
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 (~174 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17.4:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Union Area Ms's federal record.
- Compare Union Area Ms against another school. Compare schools
- Union Area 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 Union Area Ms
How many students attend Union Area Ms?
Union Area Ms has 174 students enrolled. It is a middle school in New Castle, PA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Union Area Ms?
The student-teacher ratio at Union Area Ms is 17.4:1, which is 28% higher than the Pennsylvania average of 13.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Union Area Ms?
61.1% of students at Union Area Ms are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Pennsylvania average of 58.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Union Area Ms?
The largest demographic group at Union Area Ms is White at 71.8% of enrollment, in New Castle, PA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Union Area Ms?
Union Area Ms has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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 Union Area Ms rank among middle schools in New Castle?
By Resource Investment Index, Union Area Ms ranks #1 of 4 middle schools in New Castle, PA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all middle schools in New Castle on the city page.
Is Union Area Ms a good school?
Union Area Ms earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% 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 Union Area Sd?
Besides Union Area Ms, Union Area Sd also operates Union Memorial El Sch (320 students) and Union Area Hs (193 students). See the Union Area 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.