Best High Schools in Harrisburg, PA

Summary:

The city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania is home to 7 high schools serving students in grades 9-12. These schools vary greatly in their academic performance, with some standout institutions like Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School and Harrisburg High School - SciTech Cmp ranking among the top high schools in the state, while others like Harrisburg High School and Central Dauphin East Senior High School struggle with low test scores, high dropout rates, and low graduation rates.

The data suggests a strong correlation between the socioeconomic status of the student population, as measured by free/reduced lunch rates, and academic outcomes. Schools with higher percentages of economically disadvantaged students tend to have lower test scores, graduation rates, and higher dropout rates. This highlights the importance of specialized programs and school choice options, as seen in the success of Harrisburg High School - SciTech Cmp and Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School, which are able to attract and serve students with specific academic or artistic interests.

Funding disparities may also play a role, with per-student spending ranging from $13,904 at Central Dauphin Senior High School to $30,305 at Susquehanna Township High School. Understanding how this diversity in funding and resources is reflected in the academic and social outcomes of the schools could provide valuable insights for the Harrisburg City School District and the broader Central Dauphin School District, Dauphin County Technical School, Susquehanna Township School District, and Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School.

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2023)				Ranking (2022)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2023)	Keystone Exams Biology (2023)	Keystone Exams Literature (2023)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	SchoolDigger Rating (2023)	Average Standard Score (2022)	Statewide Rank (2022)	State Percentile (2022)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	150 Strawberry Square	Harrisburg	17101	Dauphin County	Capital Area School for the Arts Charter School	Yes	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(717) 732-8450	186	14	13.7		116 (62.4%)	32 (17.2%)	18 (9.7%)	6 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (7.5%)	85.1	79^th of 674 public high schools	88.3%		83.8	77^th of 634 public high schools	87.9%	2	37.9	70.2	95.9	$16,006	$173	$15,833
Central Dauphin Senior High School	Public	9-12	437 Piketown Road	Harrisburg	17112	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(717) 703-5360	1,975	122	16.1	32.6%	1,264 (64.0%)	225 (11.4%)	159 (8.1%)	187 (9.5%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	136 (6.9%)	59.3	302^nd of 674 public high schools	55.2%		70.1	209^th of 634 public high schools	67.0%	93	26.5	50.7	73.1	$13,904	$758	$13,147
Central Dauphin East Senior High School	Public	9-12	626 Rutherford Rd	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Central Dauphin School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(717) 541-1662	1,590	100	15.8	99.9%	344 (21.6%)	494 (31.1%)	322 (20.3%)	250 (15.7%)	5 (0.3%)	3 (0.2%)	172 (10.8%)	25.5	529^th of 674 public high schools	21.5%		26.4	505^th of 634 public high schools	20.3%	24	16.7	24.6	55.2	$14,002	$840	$13,162
Dauphin County Technical School	Public	9-12	6001 Locust Ln	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Dauphin County Technical School	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(717) 652-3170	1,125	80	14.0	56.9%	487 (43.3%)	248 (22.0%)	245 (21.8%)	111 (9.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (2.8%)	56.9	323^rd of 674 public high schools	52.1%		21.1	525^th of 634 public high schools	17.2%	202	20.8	59.0	67.4
Harrisburg High School - SciTech Cmp	Public	9-12	215 Market Street	Harrisburg	17101	Dauphin County	Harrisburg City School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(717) 703-1900	323	24	13.4	99.1%	12 (3.7%)	197 (61.0%)	91 (28.2%)	18 (5.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	61.9	275^th of 674 public high schools	59.2%		61.5	279^th of 634 public high schools	56.0%	4	36.1	54.9	66.2	$23,869	$620	$23,249
Harrisburg High School	Public	9-12	2451 Market St	Harrisburg	17104	Dauphin County	Harrisburg City School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(717) 703-4300	1,230	77	16.0	100.0%	30 (2.4%)	628 (51.1%)	525 (42.7%)	16 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (2.5%)	3.3	664^th of 674 public high schools	1.5%		4.4	604^th of 634 public high schools	4.7%	60	2.1	2.8	12.2	$17,949	$466	$17,483
Susquehanna Township High School	Public	9-12	3500 Elmerton Ave	Harrisburg	17109	Dauphin County	Susquehanna Township School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(717) 657-5117	743	56	13.1	55.3%	146 (19.7%)	309 (41.6%)	96 (12.9%)	122 (16.4%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.4%)	65 (8.7%)	32.9	493^rd of 674 public high schools	26.9%		27	503^rd of 634 public high schools	20.7%	10	24.5	38.9	49.0	$30,305	$1,411	$28,894

Cities Near Harrisburg

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Lemoyne	1.47 mi	1	585^th
New Cumberland	2.29 mi	3	353^rd
Camp Hill	2.43 mi	8	214^th
Steelton	2.95 mi	4	716^th
Enola	3.98 mi	4	313^th

See the top PA Pennsylvania cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.