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Northern High School

Q: Is Northern High School a good school?

Northern High School ranks 211 th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

211^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 69% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Northern High School is a public high school located in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, serving 998 students in grades 9-12. As part of the Northern York County School District, which is ranked 184 out of 606 districts in the state, Northern High School consistently performs above the state average in Keystone Exam proficiency rates for 11th-grade students in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Northern High School's Keystone Exam proficiency rates were 54.2% in Algebra I, 59.8% in Biology, and 66% in Literature, compared to the state averages of 44.3%, 49.3%, and 62.1%, respectively. The school's performance in these exams has been relatively stable over the past few years, with some fluctuations but generally maintaining a strong academic standing. Additionally, Northern High School has maintained a high four-year graduation rate, ranging from 87.5% to 94.2% over the past few years, which is on par with or slightly above the state average.

Compared to nearby schools, Northern High School's academic performance, as measured by Keystone Exam proficiency rates, is generally higher than Carlisle Area High School, Red Land Senior High School, and Boiling Springs High School. However, Camp Hill Senior High School outperforms Northern High School in Keystone Exam proficiency rates, particularly in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature.

982

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,857

Per pupil spending ?

23.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

653 S Baltimore St
Dillsburg, PA 17019-9690

(717) 432-8691

District: Northern York County School District

Feeder schools for Northern High School:

Elementary:	Dillsburg Elementary School
	Northern Elementary School
	South Mountain Elementary School
	Wellsville Campus
Middle:	Northern Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

88.8%

Hispanic:

4.7%

Asian:

2.1%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Northern High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 45th percentile in 2015 → 69th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (60% vs 52% meeting standards)

✓97% graduate in 4 years — above the Pennsylvania average (89%)

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg60%

Pennsylvania avg52%

211^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 45% (2015) to top 31% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

184^th of 606Northern York County 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	70.1	211 of 681	69.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.4	349 of 686	49.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	74.0	159 of 674	76.4%	★★★★☆
2022	67.7	221 of 634	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.7	305 of 537	43.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	68.4	267 of 693	61.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	74.7	185 of 673	72.5%	★★★★☆
2017	66.9	268 of 663	59.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	70.1	238 of 677	64.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.0	376 of 680	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2014	47.8	371 of 580	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2013	43.9	406 of 591	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.3	346 of 664	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	55.3	367 of 660	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2010	64.4	251 of 649	61.3%	★★★☆☆
2009	51.7	372 of 632	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	42.1	434 of 621	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2007	62.7	269 of 615	56.3%	★★★☆☆
2006	45.2	406 of 604	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	47.5	385 of 593	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	64.7	235 of 590	60.2%	★★★☆☆
2003	68.2	185 of 583	68.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	41.2	266 of 524	49.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.3	267 of 513	48.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	71.1	105 of 502	79.1%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	72.7	175 of 657	73.4%	★★★★☆
2024	52.9	354 of 665	46.8%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	92.2	19 of 287	93.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	61.6	242 of 651	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.9	360 of 664	45.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	78.2	116 of 652	82.2%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	66.1	234 of 660	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	53.9	326 of 662	50.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	60.1	235 of 583	59.7%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.3	384 of 595	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	64.3	200 of 577	65.3%	★★★☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2025)93rd percentile+24 vs school

Female (2025)73rd percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)65th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)63rd percentile-6 vs school

White (2025)60th percentile-9 vs school

Disabled (2025)49th percentile-20 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature66%+4 vs state

Biology60%+10 vs state

Algebra I54%+10 vs state

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Schools Near Northern 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)	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	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Northern High School	Public	9-12	653 S Baltimore St	Dillsburg	17019	York County	Northern York County School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 432-8691	982	62	15.7	23.4%	872 (88.8%)	19 (1.9%)	46 (4.7%)	21 (2.1%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	21 (2.1%)	70.1	211^th of 681 public high schools	69.0%		54.4	349^th of 686 public high schools	49.1%	138	54.2	59.8	66.0	$16,857	$390	$16,467
Boiling Springs High School	Public	9-12	21 Academy Street	Boiling Springs	17007	Cumberland County	South Middleton School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 258-6484	707	57	12.3	34.5%	563 (79.6%)	9 (1.3%)	20 (2.8%)	71 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (6.2%)	59.4	300^th of 681 public high schools	55.9%		54.6	348^th of 686 public high schools	49.3%	48	44.7	53.1	64.1	$18,817	$272	$18,546
Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	500 S Broad St	Mechanicsburg	17055	Cumberland County	Mechanicsburg Area School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 691-4530	1,412	98	14.4	36.8%	1,007 (71.3%)	126 (8.9%)	125 (8.9%)	73 (5.2%)	4 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	77 (5.5%)	68.7	226^th of 681 public high schools	66.8%		63.8	256^th of 686 public high schools	62.7%	30	44.2	63.2	70.5	$18,088	$504	$17,584
Bermudian Springs High School	Public	9-12	7335 Carlisle Pike	York Springs	17372	Adams County	Bermudian Springs School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 528-4113	576	41	14.0	35.2%	454 (78.8%)	3 (0.5%)	99 (17.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (3.3%)	60.1	290^th of 681 public high schools	57.4%		44.1	439^th of 686 public high schools	36.0%	149	42.8	52.7	67.3	$16,061	$38	$16,023
Cumberland Valley High School	Public	9-12	6746 Carlisle Pike	Mechanicsburg	17050	Cumberland County	Cumberland Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 766-0217	3,163	177	17.8	28.2%	1,939 (61.3%)	166 (5.2%)	212 (6.7%)	671 (21.2%)	11 (0.3%)	5 (0.2%)	159 (5.0%)	91.3	42^nd of 681 public high schools	93.8%		88.5	54^th of 686 public high schools	92.1%	12	70.9	78.1	82.2	$15,813	$07	$15,806
Red Land Senior High School	Public	9-12	560 Fishing Creek Rd	Lewisberry	17339	York County	West Shore School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 938-6561	1,061	68	15.5	28.6%	921 (86.8%)	18 (1.7%)	72 (6.8%)	12 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (3.5%)	68.4	227^th of 681 public high schools	66.7%		70	207^th of 686 public high schools	69.8%	20	49.2	56.9	70.4	$23,015	$1,287	$21,728
Cumberland Perry Area Career & Technical Center	Public	9-12	110 Old Willow Mill Road	Mechanicsburg	17050	Cumberland County	Cumberland Perry Area Career & Technical Center	No	No	No	No	(717) 697-0354	28	38	.7	89.3%	23 (82.1%)	2 (7.1%)	3 (10.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Camp Hill Senior High School	Public	9-12	100 S 24th St	Camp Hill	17011	Cumberland County	Camp Hill School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 901-2500	400	27	14.6	18.3%	310 (77.5%)	17 (4.3%)	36 (9.0%)	16 (4.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (5.0%)	89	57^th of 681 public high schools	91.6%		86.2	69^th of 686 public high schools	89.9%	12	60.7	78.5	85.1	$20,113	$383	$19,730
Dover Area High School	Public	9-12	4500 Intermediate Ave	Dover	17315	York County	Dover Area School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 292-8066	979	62	15.7	98.7%	705 (72.0%)	65 (6.6%)	151 (15.4%)	11 (1.1%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	44 (4.5%)	70.2	210^th of 681 public high schools	69.2%		58.5	312^th of 686 public high schools	54.5%	102	57.8	54.6	67.9	$17,369	$308	$17,061
Cedar Cliff High School	Public	9-12	1301 Carlisle Road	Camp Hill	17011	Cumberland County	West Shore School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 737-8654	1,333	82	16.2	41.8%	868 (65.1%)	125 (9.4%)	207 (15.5%)	54 (4.1%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	77 (5.8%)	47.7	396^th of 681 public high schools	41.9%		58.8	311^th of 686 public high schools	54.7%	85	39.6	45.8	58.6	$22,362	$1,250	$21,112

Frequently Asked Questions about Northern High School

What district is Northern High School in?

Northern York County School District

How many students attend Northern High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 982 students attended Northern High School.

What is the racial makeup of Northern High School?

Students at Northern High School are 89% White, 5% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools feed into Northern High School?

Northern High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Dillsburg Elementary School
Elementary : Northern Elementary School
Elementary : South Mountain Elementary School
Elementary : Wellsville Campus
Middle : Northern Middle School

Is Northern High School a good school?

Northern High School ranks 211^th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

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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.