School safety
District profile / Pennsylvania
Mars Area School District
3,636
Students
2024-25 school year
5
Schools
2024-25 school year
$12,077
Spending per student
FY2020-21 · 23% below the Pennsylvania median
14.1
Students per teacher
2024-25 · Pennsylvania median 13.4
Mars Area School District is a public school district based in Mars, Pennsylvania, serving 3,636 students in 5 schools. By enrollment it ranks #120 of the 382 Pennsylvania districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 69% of them. Its schools average 727 students each, more than the Pennsylvania median of 560. Its superintendent is Mark Gross. It spends about $12,077 per student on day-to-day operations, 23% less than the Pennsylvania median. It has roughly 14.1 students per teacher. We've matched 1 news story to the district.
How Mars Area compares
Mars AreaPennsylvania median, districts with 1,000+ students
Spending and staffing
Where the money comes from$52.5 million in revenue · FY2020-21
Federal 3%State 27%Local 71%
| Measure | Mars Area | Pennsylvania median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,077 | $15,764 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,095 | $10,126 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $50.3 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $52.5 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 257 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 392 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 14.1 | 13.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 364 | 328 | 2024-25 |
Spending: NCES school district finance survey (F-33), FY2020-21. Staffing and enrollment: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25. Via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal. The Pennsylvania median compares districts with 1,000 or more students.
Leadership
Moves tracker →Mark Gross
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education, EdNA, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
1 story matchedPeer districts in Pennsylvania
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wallingford-Swarthmore School DistrictWallingford | 3,699 | 5 | $19,462 | 13.0 | #117 |
| Unionville-Chadds Ford School DistrictKennett Square | 3,665 | 6 | $18,851 | 12.1 | #118 |
| Shippensburg Area School DistrictShippensburg | 3,638 | 6 | $13,061 | 14.8 | #119 |
| Mars Area School DistrictMars · this district | 3,636 | 5 | $12,077 | 14.1 | #120 |
| Radnor Township School DistrictWayne | 3,598 | 5 | $23,415 | 11.4 | #121 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Chicago School District 187North Chicago, IL | 3,637 | $16,905 | 13.6 |
| Valley Center-Pauma UnifiedValley Center, CA | 3,636 | $12,715 | 26.0 |
| Southern Kern UnifiedRosamond, CA | 3,636 | $12,312 | 20.2 |
| Spencerport Central School DistrictSpencerport, NY | 3,636 | $20,866 | 10.0 |
Peers are the districts closest in enrollment, so they can still differ in many other ways. Enrollment, school counts and phone numbers are from the NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25.
Printed from Superintendent's Corner: https://superintendentscorner.com/district-pa-mars-area-school-district