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State College Area High School

Public Grades 8-12

14^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 98% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

State College Area High School is a public high school serving grades 8-12 in State College, Pennsylvania, with an enrollment of 2,347 students. This exceptional school consistently ranks among the top high schools in the state, maintaining a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger and delivering outstanding academic results.

The school's academic performance is truly impressive, with students consistently outperforming the state averages on the Keystone Exams. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school had 84.5% proficiency in Algebra I, 83.6% in Biology, and 88.5% in Literature, far surpassing the state averages of 44.3%, 49.3%, and 62.1%, respectively. Additionally, the school boasts a high 4-year graduation rate, ranging from 87.5% to 94.7% over the past few years, significantly higher than the state average, and a very low dropout rate of 0.2% to 1.6%.

While State College Area High School outperforms many nearby schools, some of the other local institutions, such as Penns Valley Area Junior/Senior High School, also demonstrate strong academic performance, with high test scores and graduation rates. The school's diverse student population, with representation from various racial and ethnic groups, further highlights its commitment to equity and ensuring that all students receive a high-quality education. Overall, State College Area High School is an exceptional institution that provides an outstanding educational experience for its students.

2,402

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$23,679

Per pupil spending ?

21.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

650 Westerly Pkwy
State College, PA 16801-4225

(814) 231-1111

District: State College Area School District

Feeder schools for State College Area High School:

Elementary:	Corl Street Elementary School
	Easterly Parkway Elementary School
	Ferguson Township Elementary School
	Gray's Woods Elementary School
	More...
	Mount Nittany Elementary School
	Park Forest Elementary School
	Radio Park Elementary School
	Spring Creek Elementary School
Middle:	Mount Nittany Middle School
	Park Forest Middle School

Racial breakdown:

White:

75.8%

Asian:

7.8%

Two or more races:

7.6%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare State College Area High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 89th percentile in 2015 → 98th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (86% vs 52% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Pennsylvania high schools

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

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school86%

District avg86%

Pennsylvania avg52%

14^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From top 11% (2015) to top 2% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

41^st of 606State College 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	96.0	14 of 681	97.9%	★★★★★
2024	94.0	25 of 686	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	91.6	29 of 674	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	92.1	11 of 634	98.3%	★★★★★
2021	90.9	12 of 537	97.8%	★★★★★
2019	82.5	93 of 693	86.6%	★★★★☆
2018	80.0	108 of 673	84.0%	★★★★☆
2017	80.2	109 of 663	83.6%	★★★★☆
2016	83.0	66 of 677	90.3%	★★★★★
2015	83.1	74 of 680	89.1%	★★★★☆
2014	72.1	146 of 580	74.8%	★★★★☆
2013	85.1	48 of 591	91.9%	★★★★★
2012	82.9	61 of 664	90.8%	★★★★★
2011	84.4	47 of 660	92.9%	★★★★★
2010	86.4	33 of 649	94.9%	★★★★★
2009	80.2	87 of 632	86.2%	★★★★☆
2008	86.7	34 of 621	94.5%	★★★★★
2007	85.0	42 of 615	93.2%	★★★★★
2006	83.6	50 of 604	91.7%	★★★★★
2005	85.1	45 of 593	92.4%	★★★★★
2004	85.3	63 of 590	89.3%	★★★★☆
2003	89.3	34 of 583	94.2%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	96.7	9 of 276	96.7%	★★★★★
2024	86.3	32 of 284	88.7%	★★★★☆
2023	94.4	10 of 260	96.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	82.8	12 of 125	90.4%	★★★★★
2024	81.3	15 of 121	87.6%	★★★★☆
2023	67.8	47 of 112	58.0%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	99.3	9 of 524	98.3%	★★★★★
2024	89.6	45 of 513	91.2%	★★★★★
2023	94.3	23 of 502	95.4%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2023	63.7	19 of 85	77.6%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	94.7	12 of 657	98.2%	★★★★★
2024	91.9	30 of 665	95.5%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	91.5	23 of 287	92.0%	★★★★★
2024	93.3	17 of 274	93.8%	★★★★★
2023	90.2	17 of 252	93.3%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	96.4	15 of 651	97.7%	★★★★★
2024	84.2	76 of 664	88.6%	★★★★☆
2023	85.4	71 of 652	89.1%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	96.2	13 of 660	98.0%	★★★★★
2024	94.8	24 of 662	96.4%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	91.5	12 of 165	92.7%	★★★★★
2024	94.1	8 of 150	94.7%	★★★★★
2023	69.8	44 of 129	65.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	96.0	13 of 583	97.8%	★★★★★
2024	92.7	28 of 595	95.3%	★★★★★
2023	91.9	27 of 577	95.3%	★★★★★

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)

Disabled (2025)98th percentile~ school

Female (2025)98th percentile~ school

Male (2025)98th percentile~ school

White (2025)98th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)98th percentile~ school

African American (2025)97th percentile~ school

Multi-racial (2025)93rd percentile-5 vs school

Hispanic (2025)92nd percentile-6 vs school

Asian (2025)90th percentile-8 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)78th percentile-18 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature88%+26 vs state

Algebra I84%+40 vs state

Biology84%+34 vs state

3.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a citizen
Wednesday, September 13, 2017

SchoolDigger paints a different picture than does Wikipedia for the State College Area School District. As one example, PSSA Science scores, 11th Grade, from 2008 to 2012, students at grade level, was reported at 62 to 68 percent, certainly above the state average of 39-40 percent, but not 5-stars. (The district stopped reporting to Wiki 2012 to 2016.) Compare science to 78 to 83 percent at grade level in grade 11 reading and math. The poor science trend begins in grades 4 to 8 with 42 percent of SCASD students scoring basic or below basic grade level. While still above the state average, the results are very poor. Beginning in 3rd grade, the longer a student attends the SCASD the lower the PSSA science score. How does this rate a 5-star performance by SchoolDigger? Clearly, the SCASD and the high school in particular have PSSA/Keystone scores higher than 80 percent of other school districts. Nevertheless, the percent of students at grade level scores are not stellar, not 5-stars. 5-stars suggests most students are at grade level in all subjects based on PSSA/Keystone. That's not true. You should also verify the high school ADM. enrollment. For consideration, about 20 percent of SCASD students attend alternate schools. Close Quote

Schools Near State College Area 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 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	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
State College Area High School	Public	8-12	650 Westerly Pkwy	State College	16801	Centre County	State College Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 231-1111	2,402	207	11.5	21.5%	1,821 (75.8%)	72 (3.0%)	131 (5.5%)	187 (7.8%)	6 (0.2%)	3 (0.1%)	182 (7.6%)	96	14^th of 681 public high schools	97.9%		94	25^th of 686 public high schools	96.4%	11	84.5	83.6	88.5									$23,679	$129	$23,550
Central PA Institute of Science and Technology	Public	9-12	540 North Harrison Road	Pleasant Gap	16823	Centre County	Central PA Institute of Science and Technology	No	No	No	No	(814) 359-2793	5	16	.3		5 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Bellefonte Area High School	Public	9-12	830 E Bishop St	Bellefonte	16823	Centre County	Bellefonte Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 355-4833	850	60	14.2	30.2%	775 (91.2%)	5 (0.6%)	23 (2.7%)	5 (0.6%)	4 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	36 (4.2%)	68.3	229^th of 681 public high schools	66.4%		57	325^th of 686 public high schools	52.6%	96	53.3	56.1	67.2									$15,215	$00	$15,215
Bald Eagle Area Middle School/Senior High School	Public	6-12	710 S Eagle Valley Rd	Wingate	16823	Centre County	Bald Eagle Area School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 355-4868	832	66	12.5	43.6%	795 (95.6%)	9 (1.1%)	12 (1.4%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.3%)	76.2	152^nd of 681 public high schools	77.7%		79	119^th of 686 public high schools	82.7%	33	61.6	61.6	68.7	55.7	39.0	23.2	39.1	48.1	39.8	42.6	43.4	$20,672	$1,163	$19,509
Penns Valley Area Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	4545 Penns Valley Road	Spring Mills	16875	Centre County	Penns Valley Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(814) 422-2000	632	49	12.9	39.9%	603 (95.4%)	4 (0.6%)	15 (2.4%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.1%)	85.3	75^th of 681 public high schools	89.0%		77	142^nd of 686 public high schools	79.3%	67	68.4	64.6	79.2		51.6	35.5	43.7		50.5	40.0	45.3	$21,444	$1,612	$19,832
Mifflin County High School	Public	10-12	501 Sixth Street	Lewistown	17044	Mifflin County	Mifflin County School District	No	No	No	No	(717) 242-0240	1,032	74	13.9	54.8%	938 (90.9%)	19 (1.8%)	53 (5.1%)	6 (0.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (1.5%)	47.6	400^th of 681 public high schools	41.3%		52	370^th of 686 public high schools	46.1%	30	36.5	49.4	57.9									$20,498	$2,845	$17,653
Juniata Valley Junior/Senior High School	Public	6-12	7775 Juniata Valley Pike	Alexandria	16611	Huntingdon County	Juniata Valley School District	No	No	No	No	(814) 669-4401	374	33	11.3	54.0%	361 (96.5%)	2 (0.5%)	8 (2.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	32.8	487^th of 681 public high schools	28.5%		27.8	516^th of 686 public high schools	24.8%	29	30.2	45.3	44.2	44.0	38.4	17.1	33.6	61.6	62.2	36.2	53.9	$18,949	$905	$18,045
Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology	Public	9-12	700 Pitt Street	Lewistown	17044	Mifflin County	Mifflin County Academy of Science and Technology	No	No	No	No	(717) 248-3933	5	15	.3		4 (80.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (20.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about State College Area High School

How many students attend State College Area High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,402 students attended State College Area High School.

What schools feed into State College Area High School?

State College Area High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Corl Street Elementary School
Elementary : Easterly Parkway Elementary School
Elementary : Ferguson Township Elementary School
Elementary : Gray's Woods Elementary School
Elementary : Mount Nittany Elementary School
Elementary : Park Forest Elementary School
Elementary : Radio Park Elementary School
Elementary : Spring Creek Elementary School
Middle : Mount Nittany Middle School
Middle : Park Forest Middle School

Is State College Area High School a good school?

Yes! State College Area High School is one of the best high schools in the state. It ranks 14^th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools.

What district is State College Area High School in?

State College Area School District

What is the racial makeup of State College Area High School?

Students at State College Area High School are 76% White, 8% Asian, 8% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 3% African American.

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Schools in State College, PA

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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.