The top reported proficiency rate is 76% in English language arts. The lowest is 49% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Scranton Hs
Scranton HS is a mid-sized school of grades seven through twelve serving the city of Scranton in northeastern Pennsylvania. The school draws almost entirely from an economically disadvantaged population; nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is racially and ethnically diverse, with roughly equal shares of white and Hispanic students and a substantial Black population, plus smaller representation from Asian, multiracial, and other groups.
The school sits within Scranton School District, which exited a decades-long financial recovery period in early 2023, allowing it to reverse years of program cuts. The district has since restored elementary-level art, music, health, and physical education, and added counseling and mental health staff. More distinctively for high school pathways, Scranton opened a new STEMM Academy (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) at Scranton HS itself in fall 2022, serving grades seven through twelve on an application basis. That program offers project-based learning, virtual reality and anatomy tools, and a college and career pathway aligned to health and technology fields. The STEMM Academy represents an in-district magnet option; families interested in it compete for seats.
State assessment data show Scranton HS students performing above the middle range of proficiency in English language arts, with a substantial share meeting or exceeding state standards. Mathematics proficiency runs lower, with roughly half of tested students reaching proficiency. These results come from testing of grades three through eight only; Pennsylvania does not administer end-of-course state exams in high school, so data on grades nine through twelve is not available. When combined, the school's performance across tested grades places it in the top quartile among school-performance measures within Lackawanna County.
The school does not report a graduation rate; data on chronic absenteeism were also not available. Information on the size of special education or English learner populations was not provided.
Scranton HS is located in a compact city anchored by a revitalized downtown with historic commercial districts and walkable neighborhoods. The city's economy centers on health care, higher education, government, and logistics. Housing is relatively affordable compared to state and national benchmarks, with median home values well below both Pennsylvania and national figures. Rental housing has grown through adaptive reuse of downtown buildings, and the University of Scranton and several other colleges sit within or just outside the downtown core. A recent influx of federal funding tied to Pennsylvania's school-adequacy remedy has reshaped what Scranton HS offers; families considering enrollment today find a school with restored arts electives, new mental health staffing, and a specialized STEMM pathway that did not exist a few years prior.
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