Pennsylvania Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
Pennsylvania’s public K–12 system combines 500 statutory school districts with charter schools, cyber charter schools, career and technical entities, intermediate units, and other public education agencies. The newest official releases available in July 2026 span school years 2024–25 and 2025–26, plus fiscal year 2024 finance data.
NCES reports 1,691,456 public-school students and 2,932 operating schools for 2024–25. Pennsylvania’s state files provide newer district, charter, cyber charter, staffing, and annual financial report detail, while the U.S. Census Bureau supplies a nationally comparable spending measure.
Pennsylvania Education Snapshot
The headline measures use the newest compatible official release for each indicator. Reporting periods are shown on every card.
Enrollment Movement Since 2015–16
PDE’s consolidated series provides a comparable statewide enrollment total for ten school years.
Pennsylvania Statewide Public Enrollment, 2015–16 to 2024–25
Students enrolled in publicly funded schools under PDE’s statewide total rules
The series excludes intermediate unit and career and technical center part-day enrollment. The full year-by-year values remain visible in the table.
Enrollment movement since 2019
- Statewide enrollment fell by 47,622 students, or 2.8%, between 2015–16 and 2024–25.
- The largest one-year decline was 28,432 students in 2020–21.
- The latest annual decline was 1,893 students, much smaller than the 2020–21 movement.
| School year | Enrollment | Annual change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–2016 | 1,731,588 | — | — |
| 2016–2017 | 1,722,619 | -8,969 | -0.52% |
| 2017–2018 | 1,719,336 | -3,283 | -0.19% |
| 2018–2019 | 1,722,461 | +3,125 | +0.18% |
| 2019–2020 | 1,724,454 | +1,993 | +0.12% |
| 2020–2021 | 1,696,022 | -28,432 | -1.65% |
| 2021–2022 | 1,689,532 | -6,490 | -0.38% |
| 2022–2023 | 1,686,844 | -2,688 | -0.16% |
| 2023–2024 | 1,685,859 | -985 | -0.06% |
| 2024–2025 | 1,683,966 | -1,893 | -0.11% |
Pennsylvania Schools, Enrollment and Spending Profile
Values from different agencies are retained under their published units and reporting periods rather than being forced into one artificial year.
| Category | Indicator | Value | Period | Definition | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System structure | Operating public schools | 2,932 | 2024–25 | NCES CCD operating schools | NCES CCD |
| System structure | Operating LEAs in NCES CCD | 787 | 2024–25 | Broad CCD LEA universe | NCES CCD |
| System structure | Public school districts | 500 | Current PDE overview | Statutory public school districts | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Enrollment | Public school membership | 1,691,456 | 2024–25 | NCES student membership | NCES CCD |
| Enrollment | PDE statewide public enrollment | 1,683,966 | 2024–25 | Consolidated statewide total | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Enrollment | School district LEA enrollment | 1,486,147 | 2025–26 | October 1 enrollment by school district LEA | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Enrollment | Brick-and-mortar charter enrollment | 104,700 | 2025–26 | October 1 charter LEA enrollment | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Enrollment | Cyber charter enrollment | 69,317 | 2025–26 | October 1 cyber charter LEA enrollment | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Enrollment | Brick-and-mortar charter LEAs | 159 | 2025–26 | LEA count in charter enrollment file | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Enrollment | Cyber charter LEAs | 14 | 2025–26 | LEA count in charter enrollment file | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Staffing | Teacher FTE | 129,658 | 2024–25 | NCES teacher full-time equivalents | NCES CCD |
| Staffing | Pupil/teacher ratio | 13.0 | 2024–25 | Students per teacher FTE | NCES CCD |
| Staffing | Full-time professional personnel | 158,856 | 2025–26 | Full-time headcount | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Staffing | Full-time classroom teachers | 127,510 | 2025–26 | Full-time headcount | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Staffing | Average classroom teacher salary | $81,178 | 2025–26 | Average salary, full-time classroom teachers | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Staffing | Average classroom teacher service | 14.9 years | 2025–26 | Average total years of service | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Finance | Current spending per pupil | $21,091 | FY2024 | Nationally comparable current spending | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Finance | Current spending rank | 12 | FY2024 | Rank among 50 states and DC | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Finance | Total elementary-secondary revenue | $41.573B | FY2024 | Nominal revenue from all sources | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Finance | Federal revenue share | 10.1% | FY2024 | Share of total revenue | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Finance | State revenue share | 37.5% | FY2024 | Share of total revenue | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Finance | Local revenue share | 52.4% | FY2024 | Share of total revenue | U.S. Census Bureau |
| Finance | School district current spending per ADM | $21,404.77 | 2024–25 | Current expenditure per average daily membership | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Finance | School district total spending per ADM | $23,785.90 | 2024–25 | Total expenditure per average daily membership | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Finance | School district total revenue per ADM | $23,869.86 | 2024–25 | Total revenue per average daily membership | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Finance | Local revenue per ADM | $13,207.21 | 2024–25 | School district revenue per ADM | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Finance | State revenue per ADM | $9,445.44 | 2024–25 | School district revenue per ADM | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
| Finance | Federal revenue per ADM | $1,020.18 | 2024–25 | School district revenue per ADM | Pennsylvania Department of Education |
Why similar statewide totals differ
- NCES membership and PDE statewide enrollment use different collection systems, agency coverage rules, and reporting dates.
- The Census per-pupil measure and PDE per-ADM measures use different denominators and should remain separate.
How Pennsylvania’s Public-School System Is Organized
The state’s 500 school districts form only one part of the broader public LEA universe reported to NCES.
Operating Schools by Type
NCES school-type assignments for 2023–24
| School category | Count | Counting rule | School year |
|---|---|---|---|
| All operating public schools | 2,926 | Base total | 2023–24 |
| Regular schools | 2,830 | Assigned school type | 2023–24 |
| Special education schools | 4 | Assigned school type | 2023–24 |
| Career and technical schools | 85 | Assigned school type | 2023–24 |
| Alternative education schools | 7 | Assigned school type | 2023–24 |
| Charter-status schools | 175 | Status overlaps school type | 2023–24 |
Charter status overlaps the school-type categories and is not added to the operating-school total.
School District Size Distribution
PDE school district LEA enrollment, October 1, 2025
| Enrollment band | Districts | District share | Enrollment | Enrollment share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 500 | 20 | 4.0% | 6,834 | 0.5% |
| 500–999 | 98 | 19.6% | 76,370 | 5.1% |
| 1,000–2,499 | 191 | 38.3% | 317,684 | 21.4% |
| 2,500–4,999 | 127 | 25.5% | 450,591 | 30.3% |
| 5,000–9,999 | 47 | 9.4% | 317,988 | 21.4% |
| 10,000+ | 16 | 3.2% | 316,680 | 21.3% |
District count and student concentration
- 309 districts enroll fewer than 2,500 students, representing 61.9% of district LEAs.
- The 16 districts with at least 10,000 students enroll 21.3% of all students reported by school district LEAs.
- District enrollment ranges from 150 students to 118,369.
Largest School Districts by 2025–26 Enrollment
The table lists the 20 largest statutory school districts and their change from 2024–25. Charter enrollment is reported separately and is not included in district totals.
| Rank | School district | County | 2025–26 enrollment | Annual change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philadelphia City SD | Philadelphia | 118,369 | -1,779 | -1.48% |
| 2 | Pittsburgh SD | Allegheny | 19,122 | -459 | -2.34% |
| 3 | Central Bucks SD | Bucks | 16,776 | -165 | -0.97% |
| 4 | Reading SD | Berks | 16,406 | -300 | -1.80% |
| 5 | Allentown City SD | Lehigh | 16,196 | -574 | -3.42% |
| 6 | Hazleton Area SD | Luzerne | 13,381 | +240 | +1.83% |
| 7 | Downingtown Area SD | Chester | 13,088 | -19 | -0.14% |
| 8 | North Penn SD | Montgomery | 12,871 | -41 | -0.32% |
| 9 | Bethlehem Area SD | Northampton | 12,402 | -368 | -2.88% |
| 10 | Central Dauphin SD | Dauphin | 12,342 | -175 | -1.40% |
| 11 | Upper Darby SD | Delaware | 12,100 | -265 | -2.14% |
| 12 | West Chester Area SD | Chester | 11,954 | -89 | -0.74% |
| 13 | Erie City SD | Erie | 10,630 | +26 | +0.25% |
| 14 | Cumberland Valley SD | Cumberland | 10,507 | +104 | +1.00% |
| 15 | Council Rock SD | Bucks | 10,389 | -14 | -0.13% |
| 16 | Parkland SD | Lehigh | 10,147 | +107 | +1.07% |
| 17 | Lancaster SD | Lancaster | 9,751 | -208 | -2.09% |
| 18 | Chambersburg Area SD | Franklin | 9,401 | -42 | -0.44% |
| 19 | Scranton SD | Lackawanna | 9,371 | +134 | +1.45% |
| 20 | Pennsbury SD | Bucks | 9,327 | -149 | -1.57% |
Enrollment concentration among large districts
- Philadelphia City School District accounts for 8.0% of all school district LEA enrollment.
- The 20 largest districts account for 23.9% of district LEA enrollment, leaving most students distributed across hundreds of smaller systems.
Charter and Cyber Charter Enrollment
Pennsylvania reports brick-and-mortar charter LEAs and statewide cyber charter LEAs as separate public agency types.
Enrollment Change by LEA Type, 2024–25 to 2025–26
Percentage change for school district, brick-and-mortar charter, and cyber charter LEAs
The chart uses percentage change so the smaller charter sectors remain visible beside the much larger school district sector.
| LEA type | 2024–25 enrollment | 2025–26 enrollment | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| School district LEAs | 1,505,713 | 1,486,147 | -19,566 | -1.30% |
| Brick-and-mortar charter LEAs | 104,658 | 104,700 | +42 | +0.04% |
| Cyber charter LEAs | 64,343 | 69,317 | +4,974 | +7.73% |
Cyber charter growth in 2025–26
- Cyber charter enrollment rose by 4,974 students, or 7.7%, while brick-and-mortar charter enrollment was nearly unchanged.
- Cyber charter students represent 39.8% of combined charter and cyber charter enrollment in 2025–26.
Education Spending and Revenue
Federal and state publications answer different finance questions. Census data supports national comparison; PDE AFR data shows Pennsylvania school district revenue and expenditure per ADM.
Current Spending per Pupil Since FY2019
U.S. Census Bureau nominal current spending per pupil
Current spending per pupil rose from $16,864 in FY2019 to $21,091 in FY2024. Values are not adjusted for inflation or regional price levels.
School District Revenue Mix
PDE 2024–25 revenue per average daily membership
Local revenue supplied 55.3% of school district revenue per ADM, followed by state revenue at 39.6%.
| Fiscal year | Current spending per pupil | Annual change | Price basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2019 | $16,864 | — | Nominal dollars |
| FY2020 | $17,142 | +1.6% | Nominal dollars |
| FY2021 | $17,884 | +4.3% | Nominal dollars |
| FY2022 | $19,186 | +7.3% | Nominal dollars |
| FY2023 | $20,056 | +4.5% | Nominal dollars |
| FY2024 | $21,091 | +5.2% | Nominal dollars |
Nominal spending growth
- Current spending per pupil increased by 25.1% between FY2019 and FY2024 in nominal dollars.
- The largest annual increase in the six-year series was 7.3% in FY2022.
- Pennsylvania ranked 12th among the 50 states and District of Columbia on the FY2024 measure.
School District Finance Categories per ADM
PDE’s 2024–25 totals cover school district annual financial reports and use average daily membership as the denominator.
| Measure | Category | Per ADM | Share | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | Local revenue | $13,207.21 | 55.33% | 2024–25 |
| Revenue | State revenue | $9,445.44 | 39.57% | 2024–25 |
| Revenue | Federal revenue | $1,020.18 | 4.27% | 2024–25 |
| Revenue | Other revenue | $197.03 | 0.83% | 2024–25 |
| Revenue | Total revenue | $23,869.86 | 100.00% | 2024–25 |
| Expenditure | Instruction | $14,275.98 | 60.02% | 2024–25 |
| Expenditure | Support services | $6,726.79 | 28.28% | 2024–25 |
| Expenditure | Non-instructional | $402.00 | 1.69% | 2024–25 |
| Expenditure | Facilities, acquisition and construction | $273.76 | 1.15% | 2024–25 |
| Expenditure | Other financing uses | $2,107.36 | 8.86% | 2024–25 |
| Expenditure | Current expenditure | $21,404.77 | — | 2024–25 |
| Expenditure | Total expenditure | $23,785.90 | 100.00% | 2024–25 |
Revenue source and expenditure composition
- Local revenue exceeds state revenue by $3,761.77 per ADM in the 2024–25 PDE file.
- Instruction accounts for 60.0% of total expenditure per ADM, while support services account for 28.3%.
- Current expenditure excludes facilities, acquisition and construction, and other financing uses included in total expenditure.
What the Pennsylvania Data Shows
The statewide averages reflect several distinct school-system structures and measurement rules.
District count differs from LEA count
Pennsylvania has 500 statutory school districts, while NCES reports 787 operating LEAs for 2024–25. The broader federal count includes other public agency types reported through CCD.
Enrollment change is uneven by sector
School district LEA enrollment declined in 2025–26, brick-and-mortar charter enrollment was nearly flat, and cyber charter enrollment increased.
Large systems do not dominate the state total
The 20 largest school districts enroll less than one quarter of students reported by district LEAs. Pennsylvania’s statewide total is spread across many mid-sized and small systems.
Spending measures answer different questions
Census current spending per pupil supports state comparison. PDE total expenditure per ADM adds categories outside current expenditure and uses a different enrollment denominator.
Data Sources and Measurement
NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25
Operating schools, operating LEAs, student membership, teacher FTE, and pupil/teacher ratio. Final Version 1a.
NCES School Type Table, 2023–24
Operating public schools by regular, special education, career and technical, alternative, and charter status.
Pennsylvania Enrollment Reports
October 1 enrollment by LEA and school, plus the consolidated ten-year statewide series. The latest current file is 2025–26; the comparable statewide trend ends in 2024–25.
Pennsylvania Charter Reports
Brick-and-mortar charter and cyber charter enrollment by grade and LEA for 2025–26.
Pennsylvania Professional Staff Summary
Full-time professional personnel, classroom teachers, salary, and service data from the October 1, 2025 snapshot.
Pennsylvania Annual Financial Report Data
School district revenue and expenditure per ADM for 2024–25. The state page identifies the latest file as reported through April 2026.
U.S. Census Bureau School System Finances
FY2024 current spending per pupil, national rank, total revenue, revenue shares, and expenditure totals.
Pennsylvania Department of Education Overview
The department reports oversight of 500 public school districts and the state’s other public education entities.
Dollar values are rounded to the nearest dollar in summary cards and retained to cents in PDE per-ADM tables. Percentages may not add to exactly 100 because of rounding. District enrollment tables use the LEA type recorded by PDE.
The 2026 title identifies the publication edition, not a single data year. NCES school counts and membership use 2024–25; PDE charter and staffing files use 2025–26; PDE finance uses 2024–25 annual financial reports; Census finance uses FY2024. Census spending per pupil uses fall enrollment, while PDE per-ADM values use average daily membership. Nominal dollar values are not adjusted for inflation or regional price differences.