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New Castle Senior High School

Public Grades 9-12

527^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 23% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

New Castle Senior High School is a public high school in New Castle, Pennsylvania, serving 732 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the New Castle Area School District, which is ranked 509 out of 606 districts in the state and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Academically, New Castle Senior High School faces significant challenges. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates on Keystone Exams were well below the state averages, with only 32.7% proficient in Algebra I, 29.5% in Biology, and 42.9% in Literature. The school's four-year graduation rate has been around 88-89%, slightly below the state average, and the dropout rate has ranged from 1.2% to 3.1% in recent years. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage (100%) of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to nearby high schools, New Castle Senior High School generally performs worse academically. For example, Mohawk Senior High School and Neshannock Junior/Senior High School, both within 6 miles of New Castle, have significantly higher proficiency rates on Keystone Exams and are ranked much higher statewide. The school's statewide ranking has also steadily declined over the past several years, from 385 out of 537 Pennsylvania high schools in 2020-2021 to 527 out of 681 in 2024-2025, suggesting that the school's performance is not improving and may be falling further behind other schools in the state.

740

Students ?

15.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,484

Per pupil spending ?

98.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

300 E Lincoln Ave
New Castle, PA 16101-2530

(724) 656-4700

District: New Castle Area School District

Feeder schools for New Castle Senior High School:

Elementary:	Washington Intrmd School
Middle:	New Castle Junior High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

50.5%

African American:

23.8%

Two or more races:

17.7%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare New Castle Senior High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 29th percentile in 2015 → 23rd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (35% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 6 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school35%

District avg34%

Pennsylvania avg52%

527^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 6 pts since 2015

From bottom 29% (2015) to bottom 23% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

509^th of 606New Castle Area School District among Pennsylvania districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	24.5	527 of 681	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	517 of 686	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.1	501 of 674	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	33.7	483 of 634	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.7	385 of 537	28.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.5	484 of 693	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	54.2	403 of 673	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	31.2	499 of 663	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	39.3	498 of 677	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	40.8	483 of 680	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	27.1	482 of 580	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	33.1	468 of 591	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	37.2	492 of 664	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	42.5	474 of 660	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	47.7	417 of 649	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2009	42.9	449 of 632	29.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	54.3	344 of 621	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2007	65.3	239 of 615	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	35.6	471 of 604	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	51.6	350 of 593	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2004	54.2	319 of 590	45.9%	★★☆☆☆
2003	49.4	362 of 583	37.9%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	35.6	166 of 276	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.8	211 of 284	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.5	159 of 260	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	20.6	434 of 524	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.6	398 of 513	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	31.2	333 of 502	33.7%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	20.3	535 of 657	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.8	510 of 665	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	34.3	446 of 651	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.6	472 of 664	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	48.2	366 of 652	43.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	28.0	492 of 660	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	26.4	509 of 662	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	17.4	140 of 165	15.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.2	132 of 150	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.9	125 of 129	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	20.3	491 of 583	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.2	463 of 595	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	442 of 577	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

African American (2025)40th percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile+9 vs school

Male (2025)25th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2025)19th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2025)17th percentile-5 vs school

White (2025)16th percentile-7 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)15th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature43%-19 vs state

Algebra I33%-12 vs state

Biology30%-20 vs state

★

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Schools Near New Castle Senior High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	PSSA Math (2025)			PSSA English Language Arts (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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 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
New Castle Senior High School	Public	9-12	300 E Lincoln Ave	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	New Castle Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(724) 656-4700	740	48	15.4	98.9%	374 (50.5%)	176 (23.8%)	55 (7.4%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	131 (17.7%)	24.5	527^th of 681 public high schools	22.6%		27.5	517^th of 686 public high schools	24.6%	10	32.7	29.5	42.9							$19,484	$3,231	$16,253
Lawrence County Career and Technical Center	Public	9-12	750 Phelps Way	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Lawrence County Career and Technical Center	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-3583	418	32	13.2	94.0%	364 (87.1%)	20 (4.8%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (6.9%)	20.4	551^st of 681 public high schools	19.1%		19.5	560^th of 686 public high schools	18.4%	9	22.7	32.0	42.5
Union Area High School	Public	9-12	2106 Camden Ave	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Union Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-4501	193	17	11.5	104.7%	161 (83.4%)	20 (10.4%)	3 (1.6%)	1 (0.5%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (3.6%)	74.6	166^th of 681 public high schools	75.6%		74.2	164^th of 686 public high schools	76.1%	2	54.8	64.3	69.1							$21,159	$1,639	$19,520
Shenango High School	Public	7-12	2550 Ellwood Rd	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Shenango Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-5537	449	35	12.7	96.2%	420 (93.5%)	5 (1.1%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.6%)	80.9	108^th of 681 public high schools	84.1%		84	89^th of 686 public high schools	87.0%	19	60.6	70.9	71.0	37.2	36.7	36.9	53.8	53.2	53.5	$23,189	$51	$23,137
Laurel High School	Public	9-12	2497 Harlansburg Rd	New Castle	16101	Lawrence County	Laurel School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-9056	313	29	10.8	33.5%	300 (95.8%)	1 (0.3%)	5 (1.6%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.9%)	78.6	136^th of 681 public high schools	80.0%		75.8	153^rd of 686 public high schools	77.7%	17	56.4	75.3	68.3							$19,662	$406	$19,256
Neshannock Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	3834 Mitchell Rd	New Castle	16105	Lawrence County	Neshannock Township School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 658-5513	545	33	16.6	28.3%	505 (92.7%)	6 (1.1%)	11 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	18 (3.3%)	92.4	32^nd of 681 public high schools	95.3%		92.3	38^th of 686 public high schools	94.5%	6	80.0	69.5	88.6	48.5	39.4	44.1	55.7	73.0	63.9	$23,540	$117	$23,423
Mohawk Senior High School	Public	9-12	385 Mohawk School Road	New Castle	16102	Lawrence County	Mohawk Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 667-7782	406	31	12.9	37.7%	386 (95.1%)	1 (0.2%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.7%)	75.5	156^th of 681 public high schools	77.1%		70.1	206^th of 686 public high schools	70.0%	50	64.8	56.4	70.2							$17,852	$913	$16,939
Wilmington Area Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	350 Wood St	New Wilmington	16142	Lawrence County	Wilmington Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 656-8866	444	36	12.1	25.7%	423 (95.3%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.6%)	63.2	265^th of 681 public high schools	61.1%		73	175^th of 686 public high schools	74.5%	90	50.0	52.8	65.3	21.4	25.6	23.7	37.1	45.5	41.5	$28,820	$6,663	$22,156
Lincoln Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	501 Crescent Ave	Ellwood City	16117	Lawrence County	Ellwood City Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 752-1591	682	57	11.9	50.6%	600 (88.0%)	13 (1.9%)	23 (3.4%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (6.2%)	41.3	448^th of 681 public high schools	34.2%		25.4	534^th of 686 public high schools	22.2%	86	37.7	40.6	55.8	33.0	19.0	26.0	64.2	41.7	53.1	$21,050	$561	$20,489
Riverside High School	Public	9-12	300 Country Club Dr	Ellwood City	16117	Beaver County	Riverside Beaver County School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 758-7512	461	34	13.5	44.3%	431 (93.5%)	1 (0.2%)	10 (2.2%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (3.7%)	54.5	344^th of 681 public high schools	49.5%		61.9	269^th of 686 public high schools	60.8%	75	50.0	45.3	59.6							$19,407	$393	$19,015

Frequently Asked Questions about New Castle Senior High School

How many students attend New Castle Senior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 740 students attended New Castle Senior High School.

What is the racial makeup of New Castle Senior High School?

Students at New Castle Senior High School are 51% White, 24% African American, 18% Two or more races, 7% Hispanic.

What schools feed into New Castle Senior High School?

New Castle Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Washington Intrmd School
Middle : New Castle Junior High School

Is New Castle Senior High School a good school?

New Castle Senior High School ranks in the bottom 22.6% of Pennsylvania high schools.

What district is New Castle Senior High School in?

New Castle Area School District

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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.