Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy

Summary:

The Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy is a high-performing public high school located in Plains, Pennsylvania, serving just 80 students. Despite its small size, the school has consistently ranked among the top high schools in the state, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for several consecutive years.

The school's students have demonstrated exceptional academic performance, with 100% of 11th-graders proficient or better in Keystone Exams for Algebra I, Biology, and Literature, compared to just 28.9%, 25.8%, and 51.2% for the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, and 41.6%, 50.5%, and 63.2% for the state of Pennsylvania. The school has also maintained high four-year graduation rates, ranging from 77.4% to 100%, and low dropout rates, ranging from 0% to 2.7%, outperforming the district's overall graduation and dropout rates. Notably, the school serves a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students, with 100% of its students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, compared to 86.52% at Wilkes-Barre Area High School and lower percentages at other nearby schools.

The success of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy is particularly remarkable given the underperformance of other high schools in the region, such as Greater Nanticoke Area Senior High School, Hanover Area Junior/Senior High School, and Wyoming Valley West Senior High School. The school's ability to provide a high-quality education to its students, even in a challenging socioeconomic environment, could serve as a model for other schools and districts looking to improve their educational outcomes.

Detail:

Public 9-12

2021 Wolfpack Way
Plains, PA 18705

(570) 826-7111

District: Wilkes-Barre Area School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1^st of 686 Pennsylvania High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $1,355

Student/teacher ratio: 28.1

Number of students: 84

Racial breakdown:

White:

77.4%

Hispanic:

14.3%

Asian:

4.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy ranks better than 99.9% of high schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 99.09. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy 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 Racial makeup is: White (77.4%), Hispanic (14.3%), Asian (4.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy is 28.1. (See more...)

Compare Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy employs 2.9 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy is $1,355.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy 1^st of 686 Pennsylvania public high schools. (See Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

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 School District STEM Academy

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Rank History for all students at Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile
2019	95.35	1^st	693	99.9%
2021	93.27	4^th	537	99.3%
2022	92.94	7^th	634	98.9%
2023	98.05	3^rd	674	99.6%
2024	99.09	1^st	686	99.9%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania High School Rankings!

Rank History for White students at Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	98.27	3^rd	577	99.5%
2024	99.19	2^nd	595	99.7%

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 School District STEM Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	Two or More Races	Total
2019	44	2	4	7	1	58
2020	43	2	5	7	3	60
2021	48	1	6	8	4	67
2022	57	2	7	11	2	79
2023	59	1	5	12	3	80
2024	65	1	4	12	2	84

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 School District STEM Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	58	2.7	20.8	94.8
2020	60	2.9	20.4	n/a
2021	67	2.4	27.5	95.5
2022	79	3.0	25.9	31.6
2023	80	2.8	27.7	100
2024	84	2.9	28.1	100

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 School District STEM Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2019	58	2.7	20.8	94.8
2020	60	2.9	20.4	n/a
2021	67	2.4	27.5	95.5
2022	79	3.0	25.9	31.6
2023	80	2.8	27.7	100
2024	84	2.9	28.1	100

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 School District STEM Academy

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$00 (0.0%)	$1,798 (100.0%)	$1,798
2020	$00 (0.0%)	$5,334 (100.0%)	$5,334
2021	$00 (0.0%)	$1,578 (100.0%)	$1,578
2022	$00 (0.0%)	$1,355 (100.0%)	$1,355

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy

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 1^st of 693 High schools	Ranks 3^rd of 674 High schools	0.3%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade Algebra I (Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy)	100	92.3	7.7%
11th Grade Algebra I (Pennsylvania)	63.3	36.2	27.1%
11th Grade Biology (Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy)	100	93.3	6.7%
11th Grade Biology (Pennsylvania)	63.2	50.7	12.5%
11th Grade Literature (Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy)	100	100
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	58	80	37.9%
African American	2	1	50%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	4	5	25%
Hispanic	7	12	71.4%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	44	59	34.1%
Two or More Races	1	3	200%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	94.8%	100%	5.2%

Schools Near Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy

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	84	3	28.1	100.0%	65 (77.4%)	1 (1.2%)	12 (14.3%)	4 (4.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.4%)	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	2,470	115	21.5	100.0%	716 (29.0%)	364 (14.7%)	1,196 (48.4%)	27 (1.1%)	3 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	163 (6.6%)	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	380	29	13.1	127.9%	310 (81.6%)	23 (6.1%)	36 (9.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.9%)	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	40	37	1.0	2,862.5%	21 (52.5%)	3 (7.5%)	16 (40.0%)	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	1,076	58	18.4	52.9%	853 (79.3%)	58 (5.4%)	127 (11.8%)	12 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	24 (2.2%)	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	951	67	14.2	100.2%	788 (82.9%)	35 (3.7%)	90 (9.5%)	10 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	26 (2.7%)	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	1,404	86	16.3	98.4%	786 (56.0%)	188 (13.4%)	308 (21.9%)	8 (0.6%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	109 (7.8%)	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	956	60	15.8	100.0%	537 (56.2%)	130 (13.6%)	244 (25.5%)	5 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (4.2%)	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	765	55	14.0	28.1%	704 (92.0%)	3 (0.4%)	34 (4.4%)	14 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.3%)	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 Township	18640	Luzerne County	Northeast Secure Treatment Unit	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(555) 555-5555	26	8	3.2	88.5%	6 (23.1%)	12 (46.2%)	7 (26.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.8%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy

How many students attend Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy?

In the 2023-24 school year, 84 students attended Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy.

Is Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy a good school?

Yes! Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 1^st of 686 Pennsylvania high schools.

What district is Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy in?

Wilkes-Barre Area School District

What is the racial makeup of Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy?

Students at Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy are 77% White, 14% Hispanic, 5% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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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.