Public education in Pennsylvania

K-12 education in Pennsylvania

Education facts

State superintendent: Khalid Mumin

Number of students: 1,566,855

Number of teachers: 108,756

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:14.4

Number of school districts: 499

Number of schools: 2,685

Graduation rate: 87%

Per-pupil spending: $17,142

See also

Pennsylvania Department of Education • List of school districts in Pennsylvania • Pennsylvania • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Pennsylvania Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Pennsylvania public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Pennsylvania had 1,566,855 students enrolled in a total of 2,685 schools in 499 school districts. There were 108,756 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 14 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Pennsylvania spent on average $17,142 per pupil. The state's graduation rate was 87 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Pennsylvania compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Pennsylvania
State	Schools	Districts	Students	Teachers	Teacher to pupil ratio	Per pupil spending*
Pennsylvania	2,685	499	1,566,855	108,756	1:14.4	$17,142
United States	90,323	13,194	47,755,383	2,783,705	1:16	$13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020. Sources: Education statistics in the United States U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020" National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

Academic performance

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Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Maryland, New York, and Ohio), Pennsylvania had the highest share of eighth grade students who scored at or above proficient in math.

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013
	Math - Grade 4	Math - Grade 8	Reading - Grade 4	Reading - Grade 8
Pennsylvania	44%	42%	40%	42%
Maryland	47%	37%	45%	42%
New York	40%	32%	37%	35%
Ohio	48%	40%	37%	39%
United States	41%	34%	34%	34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Pennsylvania and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.

Pennsylvania schools reported a graduation rate of 85.5 percent, highest among its neighboring states.

In Pennsylvania, more students took the SAT than the ACT, earning an average SAT score of 1480.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013
State	Graduation rate, 2013		Average ACT composite, 2013		Average SAT composite, 2013
	Percent	Quintile ranking**	Score	Participation rate	Score	Participation rate
Pennsylvania	85.5%	Second	22.7	18%	1480	71%
Maryland	85%	Second	22.3	21%	1483	73%
New York	76.8%	Fourth	23.4	26%	1463	76%
Ohio	82.2%	Third	21.8	72%	1635	17%
United States	81.4%		20.9	54%	1498	50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally. Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express" ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores" The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

Dropout rates

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Pennsylvania was lower than the national average at 2.2 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.8 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Pennsylvania

As of June 2015, school choice options in Pennsylvania included charter schools, school choice tax incentive programs, an intra-district open enrollment policy and online learning programs. In addition, about 13.47 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Pennsylvania is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Pennsylvania state budget and finances

Breakdown of spending by function in fiscal year 2013.
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.

Pennsylvania spent approximately 14.9 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from local funds. Pennsylvania spent a smaller percent of its total budget on public education than any of its neighboring states in 2013.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013
State	Percentage of budget	Per pupil spending	Revenue sources
			Percent federal funds	Percent state funds	Percent local funds
Pennsylvania	14.9%	$13,864	7.6%	36.1%	56.3%
Maryland	19.2%	$13,829	6%	44.1%	49.9%
New York	19.3%	$19,818	5.6%	39.8%	54.6%
Ohio	17%	$11,197	7.9%	41.4%	50.7%
United States	19.8%	$10,700	9.1%	45.6%	45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8). U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.

In Pennsylvania, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding during fiscal year 2013, at $15.2 billion. With the exception of New York, Pennsylvania spent reported higher public education revenue than any of its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)
State	Federal revenue	State revenue	Local revenue	Total revenue
Pennsylvania	$2,049,113	$9,764,558	$15,210,613	$27,024,284
Maryland	$828,432	$6,093,652	$6,888,206	$13,810,290
New York	$3,335,657	$23,632,698	$32,430,464	$59,398,819
Ohio	$1,721,213	$8,990,516	$11,019,419	$21,731,148
United States	$54,367,305	$272,916,892	$270,645,402	$597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the U.S.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.

Public education expenditures in Pennsylvania totaled approximately $26.6 billion in fiscal year 2012. With the exception of New York, Pennsylvania spent reported higher public education expenditures than any of its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)
State	General expenditures	Capital outlay	Other	Total expenditures
Pennsylvania	$23,190,198	$1,822,157	$1,584,480	$26,596,835
Maryland	$11,846,681	$1,166,855	$191,240	$13,204,777
New York	$52,460,494	$2,097,414	$3,538,973	$58,096,880
Ohio	$19,701,810	$2,467,639	$1,016,716	$23,186,166
United States	$527,096,473	$48,773,386	$25,897,123	$601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Pennsylvania, the average salary decreased by 3.8 percent.

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)
	1999-2000	2009-2010	2011-2012	2012-2013	Percent difference
Pennsylvania	$66,035	$63,146	$62,965	$63,521	-3.8%
Maryland	$60,196	$68,285	$64,693	$65,265	8.4%
New York	$69,723	$76,464	$74,620	$75,279	8%
Ohio	$56,626	$59,732	$57,659	$58,092	2.6%
United States	$57,133	$58,925	$56,340	$56,383	-1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Pennsylvania Department of Education

The mission statement of the Pennsylvania Department of Education reads:

“

The mission of the department is to academically prepare children and adults to succeed as productive citizens. The department seeks to ensure that the technical support, resources and opportunities are in place for all students, whether children or adults, to receive a high quality education.

”

The Secretary of Education is the chief administrative official of the state Department of Education. The Secretary of Education is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Pennsylvania State Senate. Pedro A. Rivera was appointed to the position in 2015.

The Pennsylvania State Board of Education is the state's education policymaking body. The board is composed of 21 members, making it the nation's largest such board. Of the board's 21 members, 17 are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate. The remaining four members are members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly (the majority and minority chairs of the House and Senate education committees). The Secretary of Education serves as a non-voting member of the board.

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Pennsylvania ranked fourth overall for union power and influence, or "strongest," which was in the first of five tiers.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Pennsylvania received a score of 82.6, or a B average in the "chance for success" category. This was above the national average. Except for the "chance for success" category, the state's highest score was in "school finance" at 82.0, or a B- average. The lowest score was in "the teaching profession" at 74.6, or a C average. Pennsylvania had the lowest score for "standards, assessments and accountability" when compared to neighboring states. The chart below displays the scores of Pennsylvania and its surrounding states.

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014
State	Chance for success	K-12 achievement	Standards, assessments and accountability	The teaching profession	School finance	Transitions and alignment
Pennsylvania	82.6 (B)	75.6 (C)	77.7 (C+)	74.6 (C)	82.0 (B-)	78.6 (C+)
Maryland	85.9 (B)	83.1 (B)	88.3 (B+)	83.7 (B)	85.2 (B)	96.4 (A)
New York	81.0 (B-)	70.2 (C-)	92.0 (A-)	81.5 (B-)	87.2 (B+)	85.7 (B)
Ohio	78.6 (C+)	71.3 (C-)	96.1 (A)	76.4 (C)	77.2 (C+)	78.6 (C+)
United States Average	77.3 (C+)	70.2 (C-)	85.3 (B)	72.5 (C)	75.5 (C)	81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts" A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Pennsylvania divides its school districts into five classes: first class, first class A, second class, third class and fourth class. These classes are based on the number of inhabitants in the school district, with the first class containing 1,000,000 inhabitants or more and the fourth class containing less than 5,000 inhabitants.

School board composition

School board members in Pennsylvania can either be elected or appointed. School board members are appointed if the school district they govern has 250,000 or more inhabitants. Those school boards have 15 members. School board members that govern school districts with less than 250,000 inhabitants are elected and have nine members serving four-year terms. Elections are staggered so that four members are up for re-election one election year and five are up for re-election the next. Elections for school board members can be at-large, by region or by a combination of the two.

Term limits

Pennsylvania does not impose statewide term limits on school boards.

Elections

See also: Pennsylvania school board elections, 2024

No Pennsylvania school districts within Ballotpedia's coverage scope are holding school board elections in 2024.

Path to the ballot

In order to qualify as a school board candidate in Pennsylvania, an individual must:

• Be a Pennsylvania citizen.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be a resident of the school district the candidate seeks to represent for at least one year before the election.
• Not be employed by the school district the candidate seeks to represent.

To get on the ballot, a school board candidate must file a petition signed by qualified voters of the candidate's political party with the county board of election and school board secretary. If a candidate wishes to appear on more than one party's ballot in the primary election, he or she may have a registered member of that party circulate a second petition to collect the signatures. If a candidate does this and wins both primaries, he or she will appear on both party's ballots at the general election.

Campaign finance

School board candidates in Pennsylvania must submit a statement of financial interest for the previous calendar year to their local school district, the county board of elections and the school board secretary. Incumbent school board members who are not up for election must also file a statement of financial interest with the school district by May 1 each year. Candidates who intend to receive or spend more than $250 for their campaigns must file expense reports by the second Friday before the primary election with the county board of elections. If candidates do not intend to receive or spend more than $250, they must file an affidavit to that effect with their nominating petitions.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Pennsylvania state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Pennsylvania ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Pennsylvania Question 2, School District Debt Limits Amendment (1959)
2. Pennsylvania Question 1, State Higher Education Loans Amendment (1963)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Pennsylvania education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Pennsylvania - Google News

See also

• Pennsylvania state budget and finances
• Pennsylvania Department of Education
• List of school districts in Pennsylvania
• School choice in Pennsylvania
• Charter schools in Pennsylvania
• Pennsylvania
• Education Policy in the U.S.