Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Summary:

Wilkes-Barre Area High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, with 2,293 students, making it the largest high school in the district. However, the school has a 1-star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger and ranks 541 out of 686 Pennsylvania high schools for the 2023-2024 school year.

Wilkes-Barre Area High School consistently underperforms compared to the state average on Keystone Exams, with only 27.1% of 11th graders proficient or better in Algebra I, 23.4% in Biology, and 50.7% in Literature, compared to the state averages of 41.6%, 50.5%, and 63.2% respectively. The school's 4-year graduation rate of 87.5% in 2022-2023 is on par with nearby schools, but its dropout rate of 1.6% is higher than the state average. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students (86.52% in 2022-2023) receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Wilkes-Barre Area High School's performance varies significantly across different student subgroups. While the school ranks highly for English Language Learners (4 stars out of 5 in 2023-2024), it ranks much lower for other subgroups, such as White students (1 star out of 5) and Multi-racial students (0 stars out of 5). This stark disparity in subgroup performance is concerning, and addressing the underlying socioeconomic factors that may be contributing to these disparities could be a key focus for the Wilkes-Barre Area School District in order to improve educational outcomes for all students.

Detail:

Public 9-12

2021 Wolfpack Way
Plains, PA 18705-2062

(570) 826-7111

District: Wilkes-Barre Area School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
541^st of 686 Pennsylvania High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $12,651

Student/teacher ratio: 19.8

Number of students: 2,293

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

45.7%

White:

31.6%

African American:

15.7%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 86.5%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Wilkes-Barre Area High School ranks worse than 78.9% of high schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 24.21. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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

Student Body

Compare Details Student population at Wilkes-Barre Area High School is diverse. Racial makeup is: Hispanic (45.7%), White (31.6%), African American (15.7%). (See more...)

Compare Details 86.5% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Wilkes-Barre Area High School is 19.8. (See more...)

Compare Wilkes-Barre Area High School employs 115.7 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Wilkes-Barre Area High School is $12,651.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Wilkes-Barre Area High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Wilkes-Barre Area High School 541^st of 686 Pennsylvania public high schools. (See Wilkes-Barre Area High School in the ranking list.)

High 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:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

White students:

Wilkes-Barre Area School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Wilkes-Barre Area School District 457^th of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Rank History for Wilkes-Barre Area High School

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Rank History for all students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	29.38	511^th	674	24.2%
2024	24.21	541^st	686	21.1%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	40.94	81^st	129	37.2%
2024	9.97	143^rd	150	4.7%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	51.96	28^th	85	67.1%
2024	56.04	22^nd	84	73.8%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	38.24	425^th	652	34.8%
2024	29.16	505^th	664	23.9%

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

Rank History for Female students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	20.09	538^th	665	19.1%

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

Rank History for Disabled students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	28.72	357^th	502	28.9%
2024	29.97	351^st	513	31.6%

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

Rank History for Male students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	27.62	505^th	662	23.7%

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

Rank History for African American students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	50.11	122^nd	260	53.1%
2024	24.81	213^th	284	25.0%

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

Rank History for Hispanic students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	35.40	163^rd	252	35.3%
2024	41.80	155^th	274	43.4%

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

Rank History for White students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	27.05	467^th	577	19.1%
2024	20.67	500^th	595	16.0%

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 Wilkes-Barre Area High School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
2022	759	355	15	942	0	1	123	0	2195
2023	724	360	17	1047	1	2	142	0	2293

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 Wilkes-Barre Area High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2022	2195	114.1	19.2	88.4
2023	2293	115.7	19.8	86.5

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 Wilkes-Barre Area High School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2022	2195	114.1	19.2	88.4
2023	2293	115.7	19.8	86.5

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 Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2022	$468 (3.7%)	$12,184 (96.3%)	$12,651

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Schools Near Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2024)	Keystone Exams Biology (2024)	Keystone Exams Literature (2024)	PSSA Math (2024)			PSSA Science (2024)		PSSA English Language Arts (2024)			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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	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
Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy	Public	9-12	2021 Wolfpack Way	Plains	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 826-7111	80	3	27.7	100.0%	59 (73.8%)	1 (1.3%)	12 (15.0%)	5 (6.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.8%)	99.1	1^st of 686 public high schools	99.9%		98.1	3^rd of 674 public high schools	99.6%	2	100.0	100.0	100.0									$1,355	$00	$1,355
Wilkes-Barre Area High School	Public	9-12	2021 Wolfpack Way	Plains	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 826-7111	2,293	116	19.8	86.5%	724 (31.6%)	360 (15.7%)	1,047 (45.7%)	17 (0.7%)	1 (0.0%)	2 (0.1%)	142 (6.2%)	24.2	541^st of 686 public high schools	21.1%		29.4	511^th of 674 public high schools	24.2%	30	27.1	23.4	50.7									$12,651	$468	$12,184
West Side Career & Technology Center	Public	9-12	75 Evans Street	Kingston	18704	Luzerne County	West Side Career & Technology Center	No	No	No	No	(570) 288-8493	401	29	13.8	74.3%	327 (81.5%)	27 (6.7%)	34 (8.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (3.2%)	5.8	633^rd of 686 public high schools	7.7%		4.8	645^th of 674 public high schools	4.3%	12	10.9	14.7	21.0
Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical Center	Public	9-12	Jumper Road Plains Township	Wilkes Barre	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical Center	No	No	No	No	(570) 822-4131	41	36	1.1	100.0%	20 (48.8%)	10 (24.4%)	11 (26.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4	651^st of 686 public high schools	5.1%					(n/a)	8.3	0.0
Pittston Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	5 Stout Street Yatesville	Pittston	18640	Luzerne County	Pittston Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 654-2415	1,022	53	19.1	43.7%	832 (81.4%)	56 (5.5%)	102 (10.0%)	10 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	20 (2.0%)	36.5	479^th of 686 public high schools	30.2%		46.5	408^th of 674 public high schools	39.5%	71	20.9	44.7	57.1									$17,113	$1,107	$16,006
Wyoming Area Sec Center	Public	7-12	252 Memorial St	Exeter	18643	Luzerne County	Wyoming Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 655-2836	953	64	14.8	99.4%	790 (82.9%)	41 (4.3%)	90 (9.4%)	13 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	18 (1.9%)	43	446^th of 686 public high schools	35.0%		31	502^nd of 674 public high schools	25.5%	56	31.0	39.5	64.1	18.2	17.4	17.9	55.0	55.0	41.3	51.5	46.2	$17,190	$862	$16,328
Wyoming Valley West Senior High School	Public	9-12	150 Wadham Street	Plymouth	18651	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 779-5361	1,357	85	15.9	99.7%	825 (60.8%)	173 (12.7%)	243 (17.9%)	11 (0.8%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	100 (7.4%)	38.8	469^th of 686 public high schools	31.6%		34.4	488^th of 674 public high schools	27.6%	19	33.1	40.7	55.1									$14,328	$76	$14,253
Hanover Area Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	1600 Sans Souci Pkwy	Hanover Township	18706	Luzerne County	Hanover Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 831-2300	930	56	16.6	83.5%	553 (59.5%)	122 (13.1%)	216 (23.2%)	4 (0.4%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (3.5%)	20.6	554^th of 686 public high schools	19.2%		18.3	561^st of 674 public high schools	16.8%	7	13.2	29.4	50.0	10.8	15.1	12.9	35.2	35.2	31.2	39.1	35.2	$15,179	$2,390	$12,789
Dallas Senior High School	Public	9-12	2030 Conyngham Avenue	Dallas	18612	Luzerne County	Dallas School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 674-7230	759	56	13.6	24.0%	701 (92.4%)	7 (0.9%)	21 (2.8%)	15 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	14 (1.8%)	84.4	85^th of 686 public high schools	87.6%		74	161^st of 674 public high schools	76.1%	76	61.5	69.4	77.8									$15,825	$958	$14,867
Northeast Secure Treatment Unit	Public	7-12	701 Sathers Dr	Pittston	18640	Luzerne County	Northeast Secure Treatment Unit	No	(n/a)	(n/a)	(n/a)	(555) 555-5555	0				0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Is Wilkes-Barre Area High School a good school?

Wilkes-Barre Area High School ranks in the bottom 21.1% of Pennsylvania high schools.

How many students attend Wilkes-Barre Area High School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 2,293 students attended Wilkes-Barre Area High School.

What district is Wilkes-Barre Area High School in?

Wilkes-Barre Area School District

What is the racial makeup of Wilkes-Barre Area High School?

Students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School are 46% Hispanic, 32% White, 16% African American, 6% Two or more races.

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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.