Wilkes-Barre Area School District
Wilkes-Barre, a KTO district, Overcomes District-wide Poverty
to Achieve Reading Success
Wilkes-Barre Area School District is in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and includes five elementary schools that support 24 Kindergarten classrooms and 24 first grade classrooms with around 500 students in each grade level. The number of Economically Disadvantaged students in four of the five Elementary schools is among the highest in the State. There is also an unusually high transient rate in this school district, which poses unique challenges across the board. The area’s low socio-economic status results in free or reduced breakfast and lunch for more than two-thirds of the students in the district. In four of the five elementary buildings, more than 8 out of every 10 students qualify for free or reduced lunch. As a comparison, the Pennsylvania state average for free and reduced lunch is 45% and the national average is 55%.
