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Dr David W Kistler Elementary School

Q: Is Dr David W Kistler Elementary School a good school?

Dr David W Kistler Elementary School ranks 1062 nd of 1511 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

1062^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

Dr David W Kistler Elementary School is a public elementary school in Wilkes-Barre Area School District that serves 970 students in grades K-5. The school faces significant challenges, with consistently low academic performance compared to state and district averages.

In the 2024-2025 school year, Dr David W Kistler Elementary School's proficiency rates in PSSA Math and English Language Arts were 36.1% and 36.8% respectively, well below the state averages of 41.7% and 48.5%. However, the school's performance varies across different student subgroups, with African American and Hispanic students performing relatively better than their White and Disabled peers. Despite the school's high spending per student, which ranges from $12,889 to $14,981, its academic outcomes remain poor, suggesting that factors beyond just funding, such as teacher quality and school leadership, play a crucial role.

Interestingly, some nearby schools in the Wyoming Valley West School District, such as Chester Street Elementary, perform better academically despite also serving a high-poverty population. This indicates that there may be opportunities for improvement at Dr David W Kistler Elementary School through the implementation of effective strategies and best practices observed at higher-performing schools in the area.

961

Students ?

17.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,405

Per pupil spending ?

100.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

301 Old River Rd
Wilkes Barre, PA 18702-1507

(570) 826-7230

District: Wilkes-Barre Area School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

61.3%

African American:

15.9%

White:

13.1%

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Compare Dr David W Kistler Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 20th percentile in 2015 → 30th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (36% vs 45% meeting standards)

!English Language Arts scores 12 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school36%

District avg28%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,062^nd of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 9 pts since 2015

From bottom 20% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary 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)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	32.1	1062 of 1511	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.9	1127 of 1526	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.4	1259 of 1534	17.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.3	1282 of 1534	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	18.8	1158 of 1433	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	24.6	1208 of 1544	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	24.3	1207 of 1530	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	21.3	1243 of 1547	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.5	1198 of 1554	22.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	22.1	1173 of 1474	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	16.5	1258 of 1467	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	14.3	1318 of 1519	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	22.4	1350 of 1599	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	19.9	1402 of 1597	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	29.3	1307 of 1579	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	39.8	1157 of 1549	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	45.4	1065 of 1551	31.3%	★★☆☆☆
2007	43.6	1074 of 1555	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2006	51.2	937 of 1545	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2005	51.6	778 of 1299	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2004	76.3	319 of 1308	75.6%	★★★★☆
2003	65.0	526 of 1302	59.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	65.4	84 of 413	79.7%	★★★★☆
2024	72.3	73 of 437	83.3%	★★★★☆
2023	46.5	196 of 437	55.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	27.7	751 of 1030	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	893 of 1084	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.2	991 of 1043	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	54.2	68 of 207	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	22.8	173 of 200	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.2	177 of 196	9.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	29.7	1049 of 1466	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	28.9	1092 of 1488	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	58.7	139 of 429	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	49.3	219 of 454	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2023	38.6	274 of 432	36.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	49.2	721 of 1369	47.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.5	961 of 1432	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.1	1141 of 1414	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	35.1	1007 of 1475	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	26.5	1127 of 1495	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	40.9	763 of 1201	36.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	37.5	845 of 1229	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.8	1123 of 1236	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)80th percentile+50 vs school

Hispanic (2025)68th percentile+38 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)67th percentile+37 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)47th percentile+18 vs school

White (2025)36th percentile+7 vs school

Male (2025)32nd percentile~ school

Female (2025)28th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)27th percentile-3 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts37%-12 vs state

Math36%-6 vs state

2.0

2 ratings

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4★0

3★1

2★0

1★1

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Schools Near Dr David W Kistler Elementary 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 3rd Grade	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Dr David W Kistler Elementary School	Public	K-5	301 Old River Rd	Wilkes Barre	18702	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7230	961	55	17.3	100.9%	126 (13.1%)	153 (15.9%)	589 (61.3%)	8 (0.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (8.6%)	32.1	1062^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	29.7%		27.9	1127^th of 1526 public elementary schools	26.1%	65	40.4	28.4	38.2	36.1	34.5	33.3	43.1	36.8	$13,405	$1,302	$12,102
Lee Park Elementary School	Public	3-4	99 Lee Park Ave	Hanover Township	18706	Luzerne County	Hanover Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 824-4741	322	23	14.0	71.4%	152 (47.2%)	52 (16.1%)	101 (31.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.0%)	21.3	1179^th of 1511 public elementary schools	22.0%		31.6	1093^rd of 1526 public elementary schools	28.4%	86	31.7	22.4		27.1	34.2	35.9		35.1	$16,231	$2,333	$13,897
Lyndwood Elementary School	Public	PK-K	2 Collet St	Hanover Township	18706	Luzerne County	Hanover Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 820-4301	268	18	14.6	77.2%	104 (38.8%)	40 (14.9%)	106 (39.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.7%)								(n/a)									$23,173	$3,236	$19,937
Third Avenue Elementary School	Public	K	131 Rear Third Ave & Davis St	Kingston	18704	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 288-2282	97	10	10.0	102.1%	26 (26.8%)	20 (20.6%)	42 (43.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (8.2%)								(n/a)									$17,729	$2,958	$14,771
State Elementary Center	Public	K-5	355 State Street	Larksville	18704	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 779-5381	1,376	88	15.6	95.4%	565 (41.1%)	246 (17.9%)	394 (28.6%)	4 (0.3%)	5 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	162 (11.8%)	12	1318^th of 1511 public elementary schools	12.8%		15.4	1282^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	16.0%	36	21.8	20.1	15.6	19.1	22.5	25.6	18.2	21.8	$17,523	$2,923	$14,600
Chester Street Elementary School	Public	1-5	110 East Chester Street	Kingston	18704	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 287-2438	294	21	13.8	97.6%	130 (44.2%)	44 (15.0%)	72 (24.5%)	9 (3.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (12.9%)	31.3	1070^th of 1511 public elementary schools	29.2%		20.8	1207^th of 1526 public elementary schools	20.9%	137	29.2	34.0	26.0	29.6	48.0	41.3	32.7	40.4	$17,246	$2,877	$14,369
Heights/Murray Elementary School	Public	K-5	1 S Sherman St	Wilkes Barre	18702	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7256	838	50	16.8	100.6%	95 (11.3%)	151 (18.0%)	506 (60.4%)	3 (0.4%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (9.3%)	22.1	1171^st of 1511 public elementary schools	22.5%		17.8	1247^th of 1526 public elementary schools	18.3%	76	42.7	20.7	26.1	30.3	37.2	17.4	25.0	27.1	$13,832	$1,477	$12,355
Dodson Elementary School	Public	K-5	13 Hillard St	Wilkes Barre	18702	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 235-6894	522	26	20.1	92.5%	44 (8.4%)	78 (14.9%)	356 (68.2%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	40 (7.7%)	17.1	1246^th of 1511 public elementary schools	17.5%		18.3	1240^th of 1526 public elementary schools	18.7%	6	26.5	19.3	17.1	21.4	42.2	19.3	17.1	27.4	$14,125	$1,425	$12,700
Hanover Green Elementary School	Public	1-2	561 Main Rd	Hanover Township	18706	Luzerne County	Hanover Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 824-3941	318	20	15.9	76.4%	140 (44.0%)	51 (16.0%)	110 (34.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (5.3%)								(n/a)									$13,045	$2,302	$10,743
Daniel J Flood Elementary School	Public	K-5	565 N Washington St	Wilkes Barre	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	Yes	(570) 826-7245	616	37	16.7	100.6%	104 (16.9%)	95 (15.4%)	367 (59.6%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (7.6%)	38.8	980^th of 1511 public elementary schools	35.1%		26.1	1143^rd of 1526 public elementary schools	25.1%	163	40.7	49.2	33.3	40.3	31.9	51.5	40.0	40.0	$13,624	$1,234	$12,390

Frequently Asked Questions about Dr David W Kistler Elementary School

How many students attend Dr David W Kistler Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 961 students attended Dr David W Kistler Elementary School.

Is Dr David W Kistler Elementary School a good school?

Dr David W Kistler Elementary School ranks 1062^nd of 1511 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What district is Dr David W Kistler Elementary School in?

Wilkes-Barre Area School District

What is the racial makeup of Dr David W Kistler Elementary School?

Students at Dr David W Kistler Elementary School are 61% Hispanic, 16% African American, 13% White, 9% Two or more races.

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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.