Best Public Schools in Wilkes Barre, PA


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.








Cities Near Wilkes Barre

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.





Diagnostics
x-SD2L3_42__Wilkes+Barre___3_13_011110011__ retrieved from Memory in 0 milliseconds.