Education (K-12) · 2024–25 school year
Pennsylvania Public Schools
Public K-12 education statistics for Pennsylvania — 1,666,699 students in 2,949 schools in 2024–25, with enrollment history back to 1986 and county-level detail from 2002.
| Statistic | Value | School year |
|---|---|---|
| Student enrollment | 1,666,699 | 2024–25 |
| Public schools | 2,949 | 2024–25 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 124,132 | 2024–25 |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 13.4 | 2024–25 |
| Free/reduced-price lunch students | 59.5% | 2024–25 |
| School poverty rate (MEPS) | 13.9% | 2022–23 |
| Charter school enrollment | 10.1% | 2024–25 |
| High school graduation rate | 89.1% | 2024–25 |
| Math proficiency (of tested) | 36.1% | 2021–22 |
| Reading proficiency (of tested) | 55.1% | 2021–22 |
| Chronically absent students | 24.9% | 2021–22 |
| White students | 59.6% | 2024–25 |
| Black students | 14.2% | 2024–25 |
| Hispanic students | 15.6% | 2024–25 |
| Asian students | 4.8% | 2024–25 |
Not every statistic is collected every year — each row shows its most recent available school year (amber when older than 2024–25). Blank/absent means not collected or below reliability floors, never zero. Some universal-meals states no longer report free/reduced-price lunch — school poverty (MEPS) is the better lens there. A 0% charter share in a state without a charter-school law is a true zero.
Pennsylvania state report card
Outcomes reported directly by Pennsylvania’s education agency — often more current than the federal series above. Because each state uses its own tests, definitions, and reporting windows, these figures are not comparable state-to-state; each row notes how Pennsylvania measures it.
| Measure | Latest | Trend | School year |
|---|---|---|---|
5-year graduation rate How Pennsylvania measures this5-Year Cohort Graduation Rate, statewide: cohort whose expected 4-year graduation year was SY 2022-23 (4-yr rate 87.55), tracked one additional year (5th year ended SY 2023-24). From StatewideAveragePercentGraduation5YearCohort_AllStudent in the Future Ready PA Index 2024-25 bulk file. | 90.5% | 2022–23 | |
Math proficiency (state test) How Pennsylvania measures thisPercent Proficient or Advanced on Mathematics/Algebra I, statewide, all tested grades: PSSA Math grades 3-8 combined with Keystone Algebra I end-of-course (banner grade 11). StatewideAveragePercentProficientorAdvancedonMathematicsAlgebra1_AllStudent, Future Ready PA Index 2024-25, State Assessment Measures sheet (spring 2025 administration). | 41.7% | 2024–25 | |
Reading / ELA proficiency (state test) How Pennsylvania measures thisPercent Proficient or Advanced on ELA/Literature, statewide, all tested grades: PSSA English Language Arts grades 3-8 combined with Keystone Literature end-of-course (banner grade 11). StatewideAveragePercentProficientorAdvancedonELALiterature_AllStudent, Future Ready PA Index 2024-25, State Assessment Measures sheet (spring 2025 administration). | 49.9% | 2024–25 | |
Chronic absenteeism (recent) How Pennsylvania measures thisPercent of students chronically absent (absent >=10% of enrolled school days), all public schools statewide, converted as 100 - 79.6, where 79.6 is StatewideAveragePercentPersistentAttendance_AllStudent (Future Ready PA Index 'Regular Attendance', the published complement of PA's chronic-absenteeism measure), School On Track Measures sheet. | 20.4% | 2024–25 |
Source: PennsylvaniaDepartment of Education (public reporting), 2026 collection. Not comparable across states — proficiency reflects different assessments and cut scores; graduation, dropout, and college-going use each state’s own cohort definitions and windows. Absent rows mean the state doesn’t publish that measure in a comparable file.
Pennsylvania schools by county
Students enrolled, 2024–25.
Pennsylvania schools — FAQ
How many students attend public school in Pennsylvania?+
1,666,699 students were enrolled in Pennsylvania's 2,949 public K-12 schools in the 2024–25 school year, taught by 124,132 full-time-equivalent teachers (NCES Common Core of Data).
What share of Pennsylvania students get free or reduced-price lunch?+
59.5% of Pennsylvania public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25 — a common proxy for student economic need.
What is Pennsylvania's high school graduation rate?+
89.1% of Pennsylvania's adjusted cohort graduated in the 2024–25 school year — reported by Pennsylvania's education agency (its 4-year ACGR, more current than the federal series, which lags to 2021–22). Graduation rates run from 2010–11 onward.
Where does this data come from?+
Core statistics (enrollment, schools, teachers, poverty, demographics) come from the National Center for Education Statistics — the Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and the Civil Rights Data Collection. The most recent graduation rates and the state report-card outcomes (proficiency, college-going, dropout, chronic absenteeism) come directly from state education agencies, which publish sooner than the federal series. Full source and license details are on the methodology page. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with NCES or any state agency.
Other states
Data: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (CCD, EDFacts, CRDC) and ED Data Express, plus current-year graduation and report-card outcomes from state education agencies. Full source and license details on the methodology page.