Summary:
The city of Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania is home to 6 schools that serve students from elementary through high school, all part of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. While the district as a whole faces significant challenges, with a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, a few schools stand out as relative bright spots.
Dr. David W. Kistler Elementary School is the highest-ranked school in the district, scoring in the top 25% of Pennsylvania elementary schools. It has the strongest proficiency rates in PSSA Math, Science, and English Language Arts across all grade levels, and spends the most per student at $14,981. Daniel J. Flood Elementary School also performs relatively well, ranking in the top 25% of Pennsylvania elementary schools, with the second-highest proficiency rates and the second-highest spending per student at $15,628.
In contrast, the middle and high school/career center schools lag behind, with the G.A.R. Middle School having a 87.5% four-year graduation rate and a 1.6% dropout rate. Proficiency rates across the district are well below state averages, especially in Math, though some elementary schools reach over 70% proficient in 4th grade Science. The district faces significant socioeconomic challenges, with all schools having 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, indicating opportunities for targeted interventions and evidence-based practices to drive system-wide improvements.
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