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Union Area High School

Q: Is Union Area High School a good school?

Union Area High School ranks 166 th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

166^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 76% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Union Area High School is a public high school in New Castle, Pennsylvania, serving grades 9-12 and part of the Union Area School District. The school has seen fluctuating performance over the years, with its statewide ranking ranging from 166 to 326 out of Pennsylvania high schools. However, Union Area High School has consistently outperformed the state average in Keystone Exams, particularly in Literature, where 69.1% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in 2024-2025, compared to the state average of 62.1%.

Despite having a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 99.51% eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024, Union Area High School has performed exceptionally well in supporting these students, ranking 66th out of 651 Pennsylvania high schools for low socioeconomic status students in 2024-2025. The school's four-year graduation rate has also been high, ranging from 87.5% to 97.9% in recent years, which is above the state average.

When compared to nearby high schools, such as Neshannock Junior/Senior High School and Shenango High School, Union Area High School generally outperforms them in academic metrics, graduation rates, and socioeconomic support. However, the school has also shown a notable difference in performance between female and male students, with female students ranking 53rd out of 665 Pennsylvania high schools in 2023-2024, while male students ranked 485th out of 662.

193

Students ?

11.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,159

Per pupil spending ?

104.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2106 Camden Ave
New Castle, PA 16101-1173

(724) 658-4501

District: Union Area School District

Feeder schools for Union Area High School:

Elementary:

Union Memorial Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

83.4%

African American:

10.4%

Two or more races:

3.6%

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Compare Union Area High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 67th percentile in 2015 → 76th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (63% vs 52% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 24% of Pennsylvania high schools

✓100% graduate in 4 years — above the Pennsylvania average (89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school63%

District avg61%

Pennsylvania avg52%

166^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Top 24%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to top 24% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

206^th of 606Union 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	74.6	166 of 681	75.6%	★★★★☆
2024	74.2	164 of 686	76.1%	★★★★☆
2023	61.0	287 of 674	57.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	62.8	264 of 634	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	64.1	249 of 537	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2019	70.8	226 of 693	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	63.5	326 of 673	51.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	68.7	258 of 663	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	68.3	255 of 677	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	70.3	224 of 680	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2014	44.8	390 of 580	32.8%	★★☆☆☆
2013	41.5	421 of 591	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	62.8	284 of 664	57.2%	★★★☆☆
2011	75.1	135 of 660	79.5%	★★★★☆
2010	55.2	345 of 649	46.8%	★★☆☆☆
2009	45.4	433 of 632	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2008	62.9	257 of 621	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2007	59.2	301 of 615	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2006	59.2	290 of 604	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2005	67.7	197 of 593	66.8%	★★★☆☆
2004	74.9	148 of 590	74.9%	★★★★☆
2003	50.1	358 of 583	38.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	75.3	155 of 657	76.4%	★★★★☆
2024	87.2	53 of 665	92.0%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	66 of 651	89.9%	★★★★★
2024	80.9	103 of 664	84.5%	★★★★☆
2023	64.9	216 of 652	66.9%	★★★☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	69.6	204 of 660	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	31.2	485 of 662	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	69.9	168 of 583	71.2%	★★★★☆
2024	74.8	135 of 595	77.3%	★★★★☆
2023	54.5	270 of 577	53.2%	★★★☆☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)90th percentile+14 vs school

Female (2025)76th percentile~ school

White (2025)71st percentile-4 vs school

Male (2025)69th percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature69%+7 vs state

Biology64%+15 vs state

Algebra I55%+10 vs state

★

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Schools Near Union Area High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
West Middlesex Area Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	3591 Sharon Rd	West Middlesex	16159	Mercer County	West Middlesex Area School District	No	No	No	No	(724) 634-3030	332	30	11.0	53.9%	309 (93.1%)	3 (0.9%)	7 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.2%)	9 (2.7%)	59.5	299^th of 681 public high schools	56.1%		54.7	345^th of 686 public high schools	49.7%	46	40.0	50.0	72.2	43.5	17.0	29.3	50.0	59.3	55.0	$20,984	$556	$20,427

Frequently Asked Questions about Union Area High School

What is the racial makeup of Union Area High School?

Students at Union Area High School are 83% White, 10% African American, 4% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

What schools feed into Union Area High School?

Union Area High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Union Memorial Elementary School

How many students attend Union Area High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 193 students attended Union Area High School.

What district is Union Area High School in?

Union Area School District

Is Union Area High School a good school?

Union Area High School ranks 166^th of 681 Pennsylvania high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Union Area High School!

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Latest Pennsylvania data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 29, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesMar 27, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataJan 29, 2026

2024–25 Keystone Exams & PSSA scoresNov 13, 2025

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.