Is Ambridge Area High School a good school?

Ambridge Area High School ranks 462 nd of 674 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Ambridge Area High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 733 students attended Ambridge Area High School.

What is the racial makeup of Ambridge Area High School?

Students at Ambridge Area High School are 72% White, 18% African American, 5% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Ambridge Area High School?

Ambridge Area High School is fed by the following schools: Elementary : Economy Elementary School Elementary : Highland Elementary School Elementary : State Street Elementary School Middle : Ambridge Area Middle School

Ambridge Area High School

Summary:

Ambridge Area High School is a public high school serving 733 students in grades 9-12 in Ambridge, Pennsylvania, which is part of the Ambridge Area School District. The school has some notable differences compared to nearby high schools in the region.

One key distinction is the racial makeup of the student body. Ambridge Area High School has a significantly higher percentage of minority students, with 17.87% African American and 3.55% Hispanic, compared to nearby schools like Beaver Area Senior High School (92.55% White) and Moon Senior High School (91.04% White). Additionally, Ambridge Area High School serves a much higher percentage of students from low-socioeconomic backgrounds, with 92.22% qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 25.78% at Beaver Area Senior High School and 20.03% at Moon Senior High School.

Academically, Ambridge Area High School has consistently underperformed on standardized tests compared to the state and nearby schools. In the 2022-2023 school year, only 21.7% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in Algebra I, 31.8% in Biology, and 64.9% in Literature, all significantly lower than the state averages. As a result, Ambridge Area High School has ranked in the bottom half of Pennsylvania high schools, with a ranking of 462 out of 674 schools in the 2022-2023 school year and a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, in contrast to the high-performing 4-star ratings of Beaver Area Senior High School and Moon Senior High School.

Detail:

Public 9-12

909 Duss Avenue
Ambridge, PA 15003-2060

(724) 266-2833

District: Ambridge Area School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
462^nd of 674 Pennsylvania High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $14,736

Feeder schools for Ambridge Area High School:

Elementary:	Economy Elementary School
	Highland Elementary School
	State Street Elementary School
Middle:	Ambridge Area Middle School

Student/teacher ratio: 19.3

Number of students: 733

Racial breakdown:

White:

72.4%

African American:

17.9%

Two or more races:

5.5%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 92.2%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Ambridge Area High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Ambridge Area High School ranks worse than 68.5% of high schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 38.54. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of Ambridge Area High School freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: White (72.4%), African American (17.9%), two or more races (5.5%). (See more...)

Compare Details 92.2% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ambridge Area High School is 19.3. (See more...)

Compare Ambridge Area High School employs 37.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ambridge Area High School is $14,736.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

Ambridge Area High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Ambridge Area High School 462^nd of 674 Pennsylvania public high schools. (See Ambridge Area High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Disabled students:

African American students:

White students:

Ambridge Area School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Ambridge Area School District 396^th of 606 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Ambridge Area High School

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Rank History for all students at Ambridge Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile
2003	69.66	170^th	583	70.8%
2004	52.75	328^th	590	44.4%
2005	51.28	354^th	593	40.3%
2006	48.08	389^th	604	35.6%
2007	41.60	450^th	615	26.8%
2008	38.12	476^th	621	23.3%
2009	60.31	269^th	632	57.4%
2010	47.20	420^th	649	35.3%
2011	41.23	481^st	660	27.1%
2012	41.25	472^nd	664	28.9%
2013	51.97	339^th	591	42.6%
2014	49.06	362^nd	580	37.6%
2015	48.96	433^rd	680	36.3%
2016	48.37	443^rd	677	34.6%
2017	42.79	462^nd	663	30.3%
2018	51.55	421^st	673	37.4%
2019	47.17	452^nd	693	34.8%
2021	22.67	454^th	537	15.5%
2022	58.37	313^th	634	50.6%
2023	38.54	462^nd	674	31.5%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ambridge Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	23.48	528^th	652	19.0%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Ambridge Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	26.05	382^nd	502	23.9%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for African American students at Ambridge Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	30.59	179^th	260	31.2%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Ambridge Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	32.28	418^th	577	27.6%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Ambridge Area High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	1171	72	3	3	1	n/a	n/a	0	1250
1989	1098	68	1	7	4	n/a	n/a	0	1178
1990	1020	71	3	4	4	n/a	n/a	0	1102
1991	1011	63	3	7	4	n/a	n/a	0	1088
1992	972	60	3	9	2	n/a	n/a	0	1046
1993	967	69	1	11	1	n/a	n/a	0	1049
1994	1018	66	3	5	7	n/a	n/a	0	1099
1995	998	57	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	1062
1996	998	57	2	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	1062
1997	1005	49	4	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	1064
1998	968	67	2	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	1043
1999	950	59	1	3	0	n/a	n/a	0	1013
2000	979	57	2	6	0	n/a	n/a	0	1044
2001	966	70	4	5	0	n/a	n/a	0	1045
2002	989	70	6	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	1074
2003	989	70	6	8	1	n/a	n/a	0	1074
2004	964	63	7	9	1	n/a	n/a	0	1044
2005	951	77	6	6	3	n/a	n/a	0	1043
2006	912	94	4	5	3	n/a	n/a	0	1018
2007	853	95	4	4	4	n/a	n/a	0	960
2008	779	126	5	2	3	n/a	n/a	0	915
2009	745	120	4	4	1	n/a	n/a	0	874
2010	733	102	4	8	1	n/a	n/a	4	852
2011	689	96	2	10	0	1	2	0	800
2012	670	84	6	4	0	1	3	0	768
2013	661	95	4	6	0	1	3	0	770
2014	669	101	5	4	0	0	6	0	785
2015	653	101	5	8	0	1	11	0	779
2016	645	108	2	11	0	2	16	0	784
2017	645	101	2	11	0	2	18	0	779
2018	628	104	3	13	1	4	20	0	773
2019	608	113	3	13	1	2	24	0	764
2020	580	115	5	18	0	1	30	0	749
2021	551	118	7	20	0	1	31	0	728
2022	528	118	4	19	0	0	37	0	706
2023	531	131	5	26	0	0	40	0	733

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Ambridge Area High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1250	64.0	19.5	n/a
1989	1178	68.8	17.1	n/a
1990	1102	65.5	16.8	0
1991	1088	65.0	16.7	n/a
1992	1046	65.0	16.0	n/a
1993	1049	58.0	18.1	n/a
1994	1099	61.5	17.9	n/a
1995	1062	60.5	17.6	n/a
1996	1062	60.5	17.6	n/a
1997	1064	61.5	17.3	n/a
1998	1043	63.5	16.4	n/a
1999	1013	59.5	17.0	n/a
2000	1044	54.5	19.2	16.3
2001	1045	62.0	16.9	15.6
2002	1074	59.5	18.1	18.7
2003	1074	59.5	18.1	18.7
2004	1044	59.4	17.6	17.5
2005	1043	60.3	17.3	19.3
2006	1018	60.0	17.0	27.9
2007	960	59.0	16.3	29.5
2008	915	51.2	17.9	34.4
2009	874	45.1	19.4	34.1
2010	852	47.3	18.0	35.3
2011	800	44.6	17.9	38.8
2012	768	41.6	18.4	39.3
2013	770	40.7	18.9	43.2
2014	785	53.7	14.6	46.2
2015	779	52.0	14.9	46.6
2016	784	50.0	15.6	33
2017	779	51.5	15.1	29.3
2018	773	52.1	14.8	41.1
2019	764	48.7	15.6	44.5
2020	749	46.6	16.0	89.5
2021	728	45.4	16.0	85.3
2022	706	39.2	17.9	90.2
2023	733	37.9	19.3	92.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Ambridge Area High School

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1250	64.0	19.5	n/a
1989	1178	68.8	17.1	n/a
1990	1102	65.5	16.8	0
1991	1088	65.0	16.7	n/a
1992	1046	65.0	16.0	n/a
1993	1049	58.0	18.1	n/a
1994	1099	61.5	17.9	n/a
1995	1062	60.5	17.6	n/a
1996	1062	60.5	17.6	n/a
1997	1064	61.5	17.3	n/a
1998	1043	63.5	16.4	n/a
1999	1013	59.5	17.0	n/a
2000	1044	54.5	19.2	16.3
2001	1045	62.0	16.9	15.6
2002	1074	59.5	18.1	18.7
2003	1074	59.5	18.1	18.7
2004	1044	59.4	17.6	17.5
2005	1043	60.3	17.3	19.3
2006	1018	60.0	17.0	27.9
2007	960	59.0	16.3	29.5
2008	915	51.2	17.9	34.4
2009	874	45.1	19.4	34.1
2010	852	47.3	18.0	35.3
2011	800	44.6	17.9	38.8
2012	768	41.6	18.4	39.3
2013	770	40.7	18.9	43.2
2014	785	53.7	14.6	46.2
2015	779	52.0	14.9	46.6
2016	784	50.0	15.6	33
2017	779	51.5	15.1	29.3
2018	773	52.1	14.8	41.1
2019	764	48.7	15.6	44.5
2020	749	46.6	16.0	89.5
2021	728	45.4	16.0	85.3
2022	706	39.2	17.9	90.2
2023	733	37.9	19.3	92.2

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.

Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Ambridge Area High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,083 (6.0%)	$16,903 (94.0%)	$17,986
2020	$512 (2.9%)	$17,179 (97.1%)	$17,691
2021	$686 (4.3%)	$15,085 (95.6%)	$15,772
2022	$1,935 (13.1%)	$12,801 (86.9%)	$14,736

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Ambridge Area High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Rank Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Ranks 452^nd of 693 High schools	Ranks 462^nd of 674 High schools	3.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade Algebra I (Ambridge Area High School)	55.8	21.7	34.1%
11th Grade Algebra I (Pennsylvania)	63.3	34.1	29.2%
11th Grade Biology (Ambridge Area High School)	55.2	31.8	23.4%
11th Grade Biology (Pennsylvania)	63.2	50.7	12.5%
11th Grade Literature (Ambridge Area High School)	68.6	64.9	3.7%
11th Grade Literature (Pennsylvania)	71.5	65.3	6.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	764	733	4.1%
African American	113	131	15.9%
American Indian	1	0	100%
Asian	3	5	66.7%
Hispanic	13	26	100%
Pacific Islander	2	0	100%
White	608	531	12.7%
Two or More Races	24	40	66.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	44.5%	92.2%	47.7%

Schools Near Ambridge Area High 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)	PSSA Math (2023)			PSSA Science (2023)		PSSA English Language Arts (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	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA Science 8th Grade	PSSA Science All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ambridge Area High School	Public	9-12	909 Duss Avenue	Ambridge	15003	Beaver County	Ambridge Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 266-2833	733	38	19.3	92.2%	531 (72.4%)	131 (17.9%)	26 (3.5%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.5%)	38.5	462^nd of 674 public high schools	31.5%		58.4	313^th of 634 public high schools	50.6%	149	21.7	31.8	64.9									$14,736	$1,935	$12,801
Hopewell Senior High School	Public	9-12	1215 Longvue Ave	Aliquippa	15001	Beaver County	Hopewell Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 378-8565	590	45	13.2	30.2%	532 (90.2%)	18 (3.1%)	13 (2.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.7%)	74.6	154^th of 674 public high schools	77.2%		57.4	324^th of 634 public high schools	48.9%	170	52.5	61.7	69.3									$20,200	$428	$19,772
Aliquippa Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	100 Harding Avenue	Aliquippa	15001	Beaver County	Aliquippa School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 857-7500	474	35	13.3	87.6%	61 (12.9%)	343 (72.4%)	29 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.6%)	4	654^th of 674 public high schools	3.0%		1.4	633^rd of 634 public high schools	0.2%	21	2.9	2.0	26.0	7.1	8.0	7.6	31.3	31.3	20.2	23.0	21.8	$24,491	$1,233	$23,257
Quaker Valley High School	Public	9-12	625 Beaver St	Leetsdale	15056	Allegheny County	Quaker Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 749-6000	581	54	10.8	18.2%	491 (84.5%)	21 (3.6%)	18 (3.1%)	11 (1.9%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (6.5%)	91.7	28^th of 674 public high schools	95.8%		72.5	192^nd of 634 public high schools	69.7%	164	64.7	76.8	83.8									$24,375	$639	$23,736
Moon Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	8353 University Blvd	Moon Township	15108	Allegheny County	Moon Area School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 264-9440	1,218	89	13.6	20.0%	900 (73.9%)	68 (5.6%)	105 (8.6%)	57 (4.7%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	85 (7.0%)	79.2	116^th of 674 public high schools	82.8%		78.2	127^th of 634 public high schools	80.0%	11	37.4	66.0	80.4									$18,291	$371	$17,920
Beaver County Career & Technology Center	Public	9-12	145 Poplar Avenue	Monaca	15061	Beaver County	Beaver County Career & Technology Center	No	No	No	No	(724) 728-5800	9	22	.4		8 (88.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (11.1%)								(n/a)
Freedom Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	1190 Bulldog Dr	Freedom	15042	Beaver County	Freedom Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 775-7400	402	32	12.6	48.3%	366 (91.0%)	1 (0.2%)	11 (2.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.7%)	48.7	391^st of 674 public high schools	42.0%		40.6	449^th of 634 public high schools	29.2%	58	26.9	41.0	67.6									$14,081	$533	$13,548
Central Valley High School	Public	9-12	160 Baker Road Ext	Monaca	15061	Beaver County	Central Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 775-4300	709	46	15.2	22.0%	616 (86.9%)	49 (6.9%)	16 (2.3%)	7 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (2.8%)	89.8	40^th of 674 public high schools	94.1%		74.7	168^th of 634 public high schools	73.5%	128	62.1	70.0	85.6									$16,656	$780	$15,876
Cornell High School	Public	7-12	1099 Maple St	Coraopolis	15108	Allegheny County	Cornell School District	No	No	No	No	(412) 264-5010	241	26	9.2	86.3%	118 (49.0%)	52 (21.6%)	39 (16.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (12.9%)	12.1	588^th of 674 public high schools	12.8%		20.6	527^th of 634 public high schools	16.9%	61		21.2	39.4	18.7	2.8	10.3	41.7	41.7	37.6	44.5	41.2	$28,642	$1,810	$26,832
Rochester High School	Public	9-12	540 Reno Street	Rochester	15074	Beaver County	Rochester Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 775-7500	225	17	13.0	83.1%	148 (65.8%)	53 (23.6%)	5 (2.2%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (8.0%)	32.1	497^th of 674 public high schools	26.3%		9.3	570^th of 634 public high schools	10.1%	73	9.5	30.7	64.2									$25,727	$2,078	$23,649

Ambridge Area High School

Ambridge Area High School:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Ambridge Area School District:

What do you think?

Rank History for Ambridge Area High School

Rank History for all students at Ambridge Area High School

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ambridge Area High School

Rank History for Disabled students at Ambridge Area High School

Rank History for African American students at Ambridge Area High School

Rank History for White students at Ambridge Area High School

Enrollment information for Ambridge Area High School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Ambridge Area High School

Student/Teacher Ratio Ambridge Area High School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Ambridge Area High School

Impact of COVID-19 on Ambridge Area High School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Ambridge Area High School