Central Dauphin Middle School

Summary:

Central Dauphin Middle School is a public middle school serving 848 students in grades 6-8 within the Central Dauphin School District in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The school consistently outperforms district and state averages, earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger and ranking 189 out of 891 Pennsylvania middle schools.

Central Dauphin Middle School's academic performance is particularly noteworthy, with 66% of students proficient or better in ELA and 37.9% proficient in math, compared to district averages of 51.5% and 35.6%, respectively. The school also excels in supporting certain student subgroups, ranking 25th out of 408 Pennsylvania middle schools for African American students and 16th out of 150 for English Language Learners. Additionally, the school maintains low dropout rates, ranging from 0% to 1.6% over the past few years, lower than the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, Swatara Middle School and Central Dauphin East Middle School, Central Dauphin Middle School outperforms its peers in academic achievement and overall school rankings. The school also has a lower percentage of economically disadvantaged students (33.25%) compared to nearby schools and the Harrisburg City School District (100%). While Central Dauphin Middle School demonstrates strong performance, the nearby Marshall Math Science Academy, a public magnet school, also shows impressive academic results, particularly in science and math.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 4600 Locust Lane
       Harrisburg, PA  17109


(717) 540-4606

District: Central Dauphin School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
189th of 891 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,040 Help


Students who attend Central Dauphin Middle School usually attend:

High:    Central Dauphin Senior High School

Feeder schools for Central Dauphin Middle School:

Elementary:    Middle Paxton Elementary School
    Paxtonia Elementary School
    West Hanover Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  15.7 Help
Number of students:  848

Racial breakdown:

White:
70.3%
African American:
10.3%
Asian:
7.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  33.3% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Central Dauphin Middle School ranks better than 78.8% of middle schools in Pennsylvania. It also ranks first among 4 ranked middle schools in the Central Dauphin School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 75.68. (See more...)
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
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Compare Details Central Dauphin Middle School has the largest middle school student body size in the Central Dauphin School District. Racial makeup is: White (70.3%), African American (10.3%), Asian (7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 33.3% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Central Dauphin School District. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Central Dauphin Middle School is 15.7, which is the highest among 4 middle schools in the Central Dauphin School District! (See more...)
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Compare Central Dauphin Middle School employs 53.8 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Central Dauphin Middle School is $14,040. 2 middle schools in the Central Dauphin School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Central Dauphin Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Dauphin Middle School 189th of 891 Pennsylvania public middle schools. (See Central Dauphin Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
Asian students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Central Dauphin School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Central Dauphin School District 372nd of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Central Dauphin Middle School?

Rank History for Central Dauphin Middle School

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Rank History for all students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 78.49 125th 736 83.0%
2007 74.81 162nd 749 78.4%
2008 74.21 168th 753 77.7%
2009 74.86 168th 770 78.2%
2010 71.77 223rd 805 72.3%
2011 66.58 316th 825 61.7%
2012 73.18 233rd 834 72.1%
2013 69.68 244th 758 67.8%
2014 73.92 176th 728 75.8%
2015 80.88 124th 835 85.1%
2016 73.44 217th 870 75.1%
2017 76.59 190th 877 78.3%
2018 73.67 217th 861 74.8%
2019 75.11 201st 891 77.4%
2021 74.03 162nd 797 79.7%
2022 73.96 199th 883 77.5%
2023 75.11 197th 893 77.9%
2024 75.68 189th 891 78.8%
See the entire list of Pennsylvania Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 54.60 81st 187 56.7%
2024 62.31 71st 199 64.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 73.92 22nd 143 84.6%
2024 75.57 16th 150 89.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 69.71 202nd 874 76.9%
2024 70.37 202nd 877 77.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 74.61 186th 860 78.4%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 57.31 210th 660 68.2%
2024 54.16 227th 672 66.2%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 74.19 187th 870 78.5%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 36.23 105th 144 27.1%
2024 32.33 103rd 145 29.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 84.28 39th 421 90.7%
2024 86.90 25th 408 93.9%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 51.18 162nd 362 55.2%
2024 57.15 126th 362 65.2%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Central Dauphin Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 68.17 177th 681 74.0%
2024 68.70 165th 673 75.5%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Dept 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.

Central Dauphin Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)
50%

0%

0%

0%

50%

  

Reviews:
by a student
Friday, May 5, 2017

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Enrollment information for Central Dauphin Middle School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2005 666 71 26 19 1 n/a n/a 0 783
2006 654 83 31 28 1 n/a n/a 0 797
2007 671 85 26 28 0 n/a n/a 0 810
2008 657 80 29 33 0 n/a n/a 0 799
2009 618 76 37 28 1 n/a n/a 31 791
2010 566 74 29 24 3 n/a n/a 25 721
2011 580 56 31 20 1 0 39 0 727
2012 550 62 31 26 1 0 32 0 702
2013 543 59 36 38 1 0 32 0 709
2014 530 64 30 52 1 0 34 0 711
2015 548 55 35 52 1 0 35 0 726
2016 545 57 39 48 0 0 33 0 722
2017 560 67 34 46 0 0 32 0 739
2018 555 60 28 47 1 0 37 0 728
2019 652 59 33 63 3 0 57 0 867
2020 577 62 41 64 4 0 52 0 800
2021 543 83 47 59 4 0 49 0 785
2022 566 86 51 47 2 0 39 0 791
2023 596 87 59 56 2 0 48 0 848

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 Central Dauphin Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2005 783 54.3 14.4 0
2006 797 56.9 14.0 19.2
2007 810 49.8 16.3 13.7
2008 799 59.9 13.3 12.8
2009 791 59.3 13.3 18.4
2010 721 58.3 12.3 15.9
2011 727 55.8 13.0 16.9
2012 702 55.9 12.5 18.5
2013 709 48.3 14.6 25.7
2014 711 48.0 14.7 23.8
2015 726 47.0 15.4 21.8
2016 722 47.0 15.3 22.4
2017 739 47.9 15.4 23.1
2018 728 47.9 15.1 23.8
2019 867 53.4 16.2 25.4
2020 800 51.4 15.5 23
2021 785 49.9 15.7 26.4
2022 791 53.8 14.6 30.8
2023 848 53.8 15.7 33.3

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 Central Dauphin Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2005 783 54.3 14.4 0
2006 797 56.9 14.0 19.2
2007 810 49.8 16.3 13.7
2008 799 59.9 13.3 12.8
2009 791 59.3 13.3 18.4
2010 721 58.3 12.3 15.9
2011 727 55.8 13.0 16.9
2012 702 55.9 12.5 18.5
2013 709 48.3 14.6 25.7
2014 711 48.0 14.7 23.8
2015 726 47.0 15.4 21.8
2016 722 47.0 15.3 22.4
2017 739 47.9 15.4 23.1
2018 728 47.9 15.1 23.8
2019 867 53.4 16.2 25.4
2020 800 51.4 15.5 23
2021 785 49.9 15.7 26.4
2022 791 53.8 14.6 30.8
2023 848 53.8 15.7 33.3

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 Central Dauphin Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $116 (0.9%) $12,308 (99.1%) $12,424
2020 $112 (0.8%) $13,474 (99.2%) $13,586
2021 $128 (0.9%) $13,346 (99.1%) $13,474
2022 $694 (4.9%) $13,346 (95.1%) $14,040

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Central Dauphin Middle 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 201st of 891 Middle schoolsRanks 197th of 893 Middle schools
 0.5%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
6th Grade Math (Central Dauphin Middle School)38.139.3
 1.2%
   6th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)3936.4
 2.6%
6th Grade English Language Arts (Central Dauphin Middle School)71.970.7
 1.2%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)6355.6
 7.4%
7th Grade Math (Central Dauphin Middle School)51.344.2
 7.1%
   7th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)38.233.2
 5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Central Dauphin Middle School)69.959.7
 10.2%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)60.554.5
 6%
8th Grade Math (Central Dauphin Middle School)40.931
 9.9%
   8th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)32.226
 6.2%
8th Grade Science (Central Dauphin Middle School)68.166.1
 2%
   8th Grade Science (Pennsylvania)58.257
 1.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Central Dauphin Middle School)76.672
 4.6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)57.952.8
 5.1%
All Grades Math (Central Dauphin Middle School)45.338.2
 7.1%
   All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)42.439.3
 3.1%
All Grades Science (Central Dauphin Middle School)68.166.1
 2%
   All Grades Science (Pennsylvania)6865.6
 2.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Central Dauphin Middle School)72.567.5
 5%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)60.953.8
 7.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students867848
 2.2%
African American5987
 47.5%
American Indian32
 33.3%
Asian3359
 78.8%
Hispanic6356
 11.1%
Pacific Islander00
White652596
 8.6%
Two or More Races5748
 15.8%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients25.4%33.3%
 7.9%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Central Dauphin Middle School

Students at Central Dauphin Middle School are 70% White, 10% African American, 7% Asian, 7% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

Central Dauphin Middle School ranks 189th of 891 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Central Dauphin Middle School usually go on to attend Central Dauphin Senior High School

In the 2022-23 school year, 848 students attended Central Dauphin Middle School.


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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.





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