Wilkes-Barre Area School District

The Wilkes-Barre Area School District in Pennsylvania consists of 10 schools, including 6 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 2 high schools. The district serves a diverse and economically disadvantaged student population, with high percentages of Hispanic and African American students and extremely high free/reduced lunch rates across all schools.

The standout school in the district is the Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy, a high school that has consistently ranked among the top 3-7 high schools in Pennsylvania over the past 3 years. The STEM Academy boasts exceptional academic performance, with 93.3% of students proficient or better in Keystone Exams/Biology and 100% proficient or better in Keystone Exams/Literature. It also has a 100% four-year graduation rate and 0% dropout rate. In contrast, the other high school in the district, Wilkes-Barre Area High School, ranks 511 out of 674 Pennsylvania high schools and has a 1-star rating, with significantly lower academic performance.

The other schools in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District struggle academically, with most performing well below the state averages on PSSA and Keystone Exams. The high free/reduced lunch rates across all schools indicate that the district serves a predominantly economically disadvantaged student population, which likely contributes to the academic challenges faced by the district. Addressing these educational inequities will require a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improving curriculum, instruction, and resource allocation across the district.