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Coming soon: We're expecting this year's test scores from the Pennsylvania Department of Education any day now — new rankings will be posted the moment they're released!

Coming soon: This year's test scores are expected from the Pennsylvania Department of Education any day now — new rankings will follow the moment they're released!

Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Public Grades 9-12

550^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 19% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Wilkes-Barre Area High School is a public high school located in Plains, Pennsylvania, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 2,470 students. The school is part of the Wilkes-Barre Area School District, which is ranked 434 out of 606 districts in Pennsylvania and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Wilkes-Barre Area High School consistently underperforms compared to the state average on Keystone Exams, with only 22.4% of 11th graders proficient or better in Algebra I, 20.9% in Biology, and 50.8% in Literature, compared to the state averages of 44.3%, 49.3%, and 62.1%, respectively. The school's 4-year graduation rate of 87.9% is on par with the state average, but its dropout rate of 1.4% is higher. Additionally, the school has a very high percentage of students (100%) eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. The school's spending per student of $11,707 is lower than the state average, which may contribute to the academic underperformance.

Interestingly, the academic performance at Wilkes-Barre Area High School is significantly lower than nearby schools like Dallas Senior High School and Wyoming Area Sec Center, which have much higher proficiency rates on Keystone Exams. Within the same district, the Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy stands out with exceptional academic performance, ranking among the top 3 high schools in Pennsylvania for the past three years.

2,569

Students ?

23.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,678

Per pupil spending ?

96.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2021 Wolfpack Way
Plains, PA 18705-2062

(570) 826-7111

District: Wilkes-Barre Area School District

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

51.5%

White:

25.9%

African American:

14.8%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Wilkes-Barre Area High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 24th percentile in 2023 → 19th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (31% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Pennsylvania average (78% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

District avg33%

Pennsylvania avg52%

550^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 19%▼ down 5 pts since 2023

From bottom 24% (2023) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 2High 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	20.4	550 of 681	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.2	541 of 686	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.4	511 of 674	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	38.7	153 of 276	44.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	24.8	213 of 284	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	50.1	122 of 260	53.1%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	30.2	366 of 524	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	30.0	351 of 513	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.7	357 of 502	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	69.6	16 of 109	85.3%	★★★★☆
2024	56.0	22 of 84	73.8%	★★★★☆
2023	52.0	28 of 85	67.1%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	23.3	518 of 657	21.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.1	538 of 665	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	31.8	192 of 287	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.8	155 of 274	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.4	163 of 252	35.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	32.5	452 of 651	30.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	29.2	505 of 664	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	38.2	425 of 652	34.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	17.7	543 of 660	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.6	505 of 662	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	30.7	111 of 165	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	10.0	143 of 150	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	40.9	81 of 129	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	16.6	503 of 583	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.7	500 of 595	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.0	467 of 577	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

English Language Learner (2025)85th percentile+66 vs school

African American (2025)45th percentile+25 vs school

Hispanic (2025)33rd percentile+14 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)33rd percentile+13 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile+11 vs school

Disabled (2025)30th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)21st percentile~ school

Male (2025)18th percentile~ school

White (2025)14th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature51%-11 vs state

Algebra I22%-22 vs state

Biology21%-28 vs state

★

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Schools Near Wilkes-Barre 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 (2025)	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
Wilkes-Barre Area School District STEM Academy	Public	9-12	2021 Wolfpack Way	Plains	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 826-7111	93	3	29.3	90.3%	70 (75.3%)	4 (4.3%)	14 (15.1%)	3 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.2%)	98	3^rd of 681 public high schools	99.6%		99.1	1^st of 686 public high schools	99.9%	2	94.4	83.3	100.0							$3,667	$00	$3,667
Wilkes-Barre Area High School	Public	9-12	2021 Wolfpack Way	Plains	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 826-7111	2,569	110	23.4	96.1%	666 (25.9%)	381 (14.8%)	1,323 (51.5%)	25 (1.0%)	4 (0.2%)	1 (0.0%)	169 (6.6%)	20.4	550^th of 681 public high schools	19.2%		24.2	541^st of 686 public high schools	21.1%	9	22.4	20.9	50.8							$11,678	$585	$11,094
West Side Career & Technology Center	Public	9-12	75 Evans Street	Kingston	18704	Luzerne County	West Side Career & Technology Center	No	No	No	No	(570) 288-8493	437	30	14.5	111.2%	323 (73.9%)	44 (10.1%)	49 (11.2%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.3%)	6.7	616^th of 681 public high schools	9.5%		5.8	633^rd of 686 public high schools	7.7%	17	7.1	17.6	31.4
Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical Center	Public	9-12	Jumper Road Plains Township	Wilkes Barre	18705	Luzerne County	Wilkes-Barre Area Career & Technical Center	No	No	No	No	(570) 822-4131	30	35	.8	3,816.7%	11 (36.7%)	5 (16.7%)	13 (43.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (3.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)
Pittston Area Senior High School	Public	9-12	5 Stout Street Yatesville	Pittston	18640	Luzerne County	Pittston Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 654-2415	1,055	58	18.1	53.9%	794 (75.3%)	51 (4.8%)	169 (16.0%)	14 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	25 (2.4%)	40.9	450^th of 681 public high schools	33.9%		36.5	479^th of 686 public high schools	30.2%	29	31.5	47.0	54.7							$16,141	$504	$15,637
Wyoming Area Sec Center	Public	7-12	252 Memorial St	Exeter	18643	Luzerne County	Wyoming Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 655-2836	929	66	14.1	102.6%	757 (81.5%)	36 (3.9%)	89 (9.6%)	9 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.2%)	36 (3.9%)	55.8	331^st of 681 public high schools	51.4%		43	446^th of 686 public high schools	35.0%	115	39.2	45.4	71.8	29.2	8.2	18.8	43.6	34.0	38.7	$18,051	$705	$17,346
Wyoming Valley West Senior High School	Public	9-12	150 Wadham Street	Plymouth	18651	Luzerne County	Wyoming Valley West School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 779-5361	1,362	88	15.3	101.4%	729 (53.5%)	195 (14.3%)	316 (23.2%)	10 (0.7%)	3 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	108 (7.9%)	27.6	511^th of 681 public high schools	25.0%		38.8	469^th of 686 public high schools	31.6%	42	25.8	34.4	50.9							$15,161	$2,529	$12,631
Hanover Area Junior/Senior High School	Public	7-12	1600 Sans Souci Pkwy	Hanover Township	18706	Luzerne County	Hanover Area School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 831-2300	977	59	16.4	97.9%	519 (53.1%)	136 (13.9%)	272 (27.8%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	48 (4.9%)	15.3	573^rd of 681 public high schools	15.9%		20.6	554^th of 686 public high schools	19.2%	19	17.9	28.0	39.2	8.2	9.7	9.0	23.4	21.7	22.5	$18,452	$2,690	$15,762
Dallas Senior High School	Public	9-12	2030 Conyngham Avenue	Dallas	18612	Luzerne County	Dallas School District	No	No	No	No	(570) 674-7230	745	53	14.0	28.9%	673 (90.3%)	1 (0.1%)	40 (5.4%)	14 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (2.3%)	62.6	274^th of 681 public high schools	59.8%		84.4	85^th of 686 public high schools	87.6%	189	46.4	60.1	61.3							$15,363	$930	$14,433
Northeast Secure Treatment Unit	Public	7-12	701 Sathers Dr	Pittston Township	18640	Luzerne County	Northeast Secure Treatment Unit	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(570) 718-4611	37	7	5.2	70.3%	4 (10.8%)	23 (62.2%)	7 (18.9%)	1 (2.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (5.4%)								(n/a)

Frequently Asked Questions about Wilkes-Barre Area High School

Is Wilkes-Barre Area High School a good school?

Wilkes-Barre Area High School ranks in the bottom 19.2% of Pennsylvania high schools.

How many students attend Wilkes-Barre Area High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 2,569 students attended Wilkes-Barre Area High School.

What is the racial makeup of Wilkes-Barre Area High School?

Students at Wilkes-Barre Area High School are 51% Hispanic, 26% White, 15% African American, 7% Two or more races.

What district is Wilkes-Barre Area High School in?

Wilkes-Barre Area School District

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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.