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G A R Middle School

Public Grades 6-8

694^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 21% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

G A R Middle School is a public middle school in Wilkes Barre, PA, serving 1,066 students in grades 6-8 as part of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. The school consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Pennsylvania middle schools, with significantly lower academic performance compared to state and district averages.

G A R Middle School faces significant challenges, with only 9.6% of students proficient or better in Math and 28.3% proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to state averages of 41.7% and 48.5% respectively. The school's 4-year graduation rate of 77-88% is also lower than the state average, and its dropout rate of 0.2-3.1% is higher. While the school spends $12,500-$15,300 per student, which is higher than the state average, its performance lags behind nearby schools like Solomon/Plains Middle School and Pittston Area Middle School, which are also part of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District.

The high percentage of students (100%) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch at G A R Middle School suggests a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population, which may contribute to the school's lower academic performance. Additionally, the school's relatively high student-teacher ratio of 17.3-19.9 may impact the level of individual attention and support students receive.

1,101

Students ?

21.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,974

Per pupil spending ?

96.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

250 South Grant Street
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702

(570) 826-7165

District: Wilkes-Barre Area School District

Feeder schools for G A R Middle School:

Elementary:	Dodson Elementary School
	Heights/Murray Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

60.7%

African American:

19.7%

White:

12.9%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare G A R Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2015 → 21st in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 9 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (19% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (21st percentile)

!Math scores 32 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school19%

District avg28%

Pennsylvania avg45%

694^th of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Bottom 21%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 21% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2Middle Schools in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District

434^th of 606Wilkes-Barre 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)

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	17.9	694 of 873	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	15.8	731 of 891	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.2	655 of 893	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	740 of 883	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	11.3	703 of 797	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	12.4	753 of 891	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.0	722 of 861	16.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	9.8	762 of 877	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	9.0	765 of 870	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	9.5	736 of 835	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	5.6	670 of 728	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	13.5	646 of 758	14.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.9	706 of 834	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	20.8	701 of 825	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	23.8	670 of 805	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	33.0	603 of 770	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	25.0	621 of 753	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	47.4	482 of 749	35.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	91.1	16 of 736	97.8%	★★★★★
2005	36.7	512 of 687	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2004	42.3	465 of 663	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2003	36.5	483 of 643	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	32.4	259 of 393	34.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.2	252 of 408	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.2	163 of 421	61.3%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	452 of 643	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.0	578 of 672	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	556 of 660	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	111 of 145	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	39.4	93 of 150	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.0	77 of 143	46.2%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	15.0	701 of 835	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	721 of 860	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	31.0	243 of 348	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.5	265 of 362	26.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	42.7	198 of 362	45.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	25.4	647 of 843	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	704 of 877	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	33.5	598 of 874	31.6%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	21.0	651 of 839	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.8	707 of 870	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	155 of 174	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	182 of 199	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	16.5	164 of 187	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	19.0	565 of 649	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.0	638 of 673	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.6	638 of 681	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆

High school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2021	35.3	406 of 537	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	5.0	632 of 693	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	10.6	586 of 673	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	7.9	593 of 663	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	6.8	605 of 677	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	4.5	621 of 680	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	4.3	543 of 580	6.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.5	550 of 591	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	22.5	569 of 664	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	37.0	507 of 660	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	39.7	484 of 649	25.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	46.3	423 of 632	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2008	44.6	423 of 621	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2007	54.5	357 of 615	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	93.5	5 of 604	99.2%	★★★★★
2005	85.8	41 of 593	93.1%	★★★★★
2004	91.7	25 of 590	95.8%	★★★★★
2003	66.5	202 of 583	65.4%	★★★☆☆

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)

Middle school

African American (2025)34th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2025)30th percentile+10 vs school

Disabled (2025)30th percentile+9 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)23rd percentile+3 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)23rd percentile+3 vs school

Male (2025)22nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)16th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)13th percentile-8 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)11th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts28%-20 vs state

Math10%-32 vs state

★

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Schools Near G A R Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				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	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	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
G A R Middle School	Public	6-8	250 South Grant Street	Wilkes Barre	18702	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7165	1,101	52	21.0	96.8%	142 (12.9%)	217 (19.7%)	668 (60.7%)	6 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (6.2%)	17.9	694^th of 873 public middle schools	20.5%		15.8	731^st of 891 public middle schools	18.0%	37			15.7	7.0	6.0	9.6			28.9	23.5	32.5	28.3	$11,974	$2,461	$9,513
Wyoming Valley West Middle School	Public	6-8	201 Chester Street	Kingston	18704	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 287-2131	1,139	74	15.4	99.5%	581 (51.0%)	166 (14.6%)	274 (24.1%)	12 (1.1%)	1 (0.1%)	3 (0.3%)	102 (9.0%)	14.6	728^th of 873 public middle schools	16.6%		24.5	655^th of 891 public middle schools	26.5%	73			7.4	5.2	9.3	7.1			23.5	27.1	24.9	25.2	$15,912	$2,655	$13,257
Hanover Area Memorial Elementary School	Public	5-6	80 W Saint Marys Rd	Hanover Township	18706	Luzerne County	Hanover Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 822-5102	319	22	14.7	79.6%	155 (48.6%)	57 (17.9%)	92 (28.8%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.8%)								(n/a)		32.2	29.5			30.8		35.7	44.9			40.3	$16,398	$2,408	$13,990
Solomon/Plains Middle School	Public	6-8	43 Abbott St	Plains	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7224	758	37	20.6	97.8%	251 (33.1%)	72 (9.5%)	378 (49.9%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	51 (6.7%)	30.8	586^th of 873 public middle schools	32.9%		22.2	672^nd of 891 public middle schools	24.6%	86			18.2	16.4	17.4	17.4			36.7	35.1	41.0	37.4	$13,308	$1,823	$11,485
Greater Nanticoke Area Educational Center	Public	6-8	600 East Union St	Nanticoke	18634	Luzerne County	Greater Nanticoke Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 735-2770	533	26	20.1	99.6%	340 (63.8%)	58 (10.9%)	113 (21.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	20 (3.8%)	32.7	580^th of 873 public middle schools	33.6%		34.6	594^th of 891 public middle schools	33.3%	14			16.0	13.4	12.8	14.0			41.5	38.4	45.9	42.0	$11,178	$1,541	$9,636
Wyoming Area Intermediate Center	Public	4-6	100 Montgomery Avenue	West Pittston	18643	Luzerne County	Wyoming Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 654-1404	444	35	12.8	102.7%	345 (77.7%)	21 (4.7%)	52 (11.7%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (5.0%)								(n/a)	52.1	54.6	23.6			43.2	55.0	47.3	54.3			52.3	$17,224	$1,483	$15,741
Dallas Middle School	Public	6-8	2020 Conyngham Avenue	Dallas	18612	Luzerne County	Dallas School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 674-7245	589	38	15.5	36.2%	518 (87.9%)	10 (1.7%)	35 (5.9%)	9 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.9%)	75.6	167^th of 873 public middle schools	80.9%		73.8	209^th of 891 public middle schools	76.5%	42			40.9	54.7	28.9	42.0			60.6	64.9	59.1	61.7	$12,861	$779	$12,082
Pittston Area Middle School	Public	6-8	120 New Street	Pittston	18640	Luzerne County	Pittston Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 654-2415	761	55	13.8	72.9%	543 (71.4%)	44 (5.8%)	132 (17.3%)	10 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (4.1%)	28.4	610^th of 873 public middle schools	30.1%		39.8	562^nd of 891 public middle schools	36.9%	48			18.2	19.6	9.3	15.7			35.9	37.2	34.7	36.0	$13,191	$503	$12,688
West Scranton Intrmd School	Public	5-8	1401 Fellows St	Scranton	18504	Lackawanna County	Scranton School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 348-3475	820	69	11.9	102.3%	267 (32.6%)	124 (15.1%)	343 (41.8%)	26 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	58 (7.1%)	27.2	620^th of 873 public middle schools	29.0%		17.8	708^th of 891 public middle schools	20.5%	88		22.8	7.6	15.7	19.4	16.2		36.0	31.2	39.8	34.3	35.3	$17,882	$3,585	$14,297
South Scranton Intrmd School	Public	5-8	355 Maple St	Scranton	18505	Lackawanna County	Scranton School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 348-3631	798	66	12.0	97.9%	142 (17.8%)	117 (14.7%)	444 (55.6%)	56 (7.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (4.8%)	11.5	768^th of 873 public middle schools	12.0%		17.5	716^th of 891 public middle schools	19.6%	52		9.0	9.0	10.0	4.6	8.0		16.9	22.7	17.2	16.1	18.1	$19,899	$3,591	$16,308

Frequently Asked Questions about G A R Middle School

What is the racial makeup of G A R Middle School?

Students at G A R Middle School are 61% Hispanic, 20% African American, 13% White, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend G A R Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,101 students attended G A R Middle School.

Is G A R Middle School a good school?

G A R Middle School ranks in the bottom 20.5% of Pennsylvania middle schools.

What district is G A R Middle School in?

Wilkes-Barre 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.