Wilkes-Barre Area School District
Wilkes-Barre Area School District is a public school district based in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, serving 8,228 students in 9 schools. By enrollment it ranks #25 of the 382 Pennsylvania districts with 1,000 or more students, larger than about 94% of them. Its schools average 914 students each, more than the Pennsylvania median of 560. Its superintendent is Brian Costello. It spends about $12,267 per student on day-to-day operations, 22% less than the Pennsylvania median. It has roughly 19.7 students per teacher.
How Wilkes-Barre Area compares
Spending and staffing
| Measure | Wilkes-Barre Area | Pennsylvania median | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current spending per student | $12,267 | $15,764 | FY2020-21 |
| Instruction spending per student | $8,686 | $10,126 | FY2020-21 |
| Total spending | $171.1 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Total revenue | $132.9 million | n/a | FY2020-21 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 417 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Total staff (full-time equivalent) | 800 | n/a | 2024-25 |
| Students per teacher | 19.7 | 13.4 | 2024-25 |
| Students per counselor | 748 | 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 →Brian Costello
Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education, EdNA, checked 2026-10-19. Report a change
In the news
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Peer districts in Pennsylvania
Compare side by side →| District | Students | Schools | Spending per student | Students per teacher | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Merion School DistrictArdmore | 8,533 | 11 | $28,096 | 11.1 | #23 |
| Abington School DistrictAbington | 8,400 | 9 | $17,569 | 14.9 | #24 |
| Wilkes-Barre Area School DistrictWilkes Barre · this district | 8,228 | 9 | $12,267 | 19.7 | #25 |
| Spring-Ford Area School DistrictRoyersford | 8,101 | 11 | $18,101 | 13.3 | #26 |
| Easton Area School DistrictEaston | 7,928 | 9 | $15,606 | 14.1 | #27 |
Similar-size districts nationally
| District | Students | Spending per student | Students per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas City ElementarySalinas, CA | 8,236 | $13,656 | 22.9 |
| Liberty Union HighBrentwood, CA | 8,228 | $12,380 | 21.3 |
| San Marcos CISDSan Marcos, TX | 8,222 | $11,207 | 14.2 |
| Dothan CityDothan, AL | 8,220 | $11,596 | 17.9 |
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-wilkes-barre-area-school-district