State of Education report
PSBA is pleased to release the 2025 State of Education report, which uses results from a survey of school district leaders and publicly available education data to serve as a benchmark of the key indicators of public school performance.
Some key findings from this year’s report include:
- More than three-quarters (77%) of school districts reported having at least one school building in need of major repair or replacement.
- For the third year in a row, the biggest challenges faced by school leaders continue to be student mental health needs, budget pressures and staffing shortages.
- Mandatory charter school tuition payments were the top source of budget pressure for the sixth consecutive year.
- More than 80% of school districts reported experiencing a scarcity of qualified mental health care providers, making it the biggest challenge in connecting students to the care they need.
Click on the document to the left to view or download a digital version of the State of Education report.
2025 State of Education report overview
Watch this video to gain insights from this year’s State of Education report, the leading source of information on the biggest challenges facing public schools in Pennsylvania and their impact on education.
We visited districts across the commonwealth to hear about the issues they experience every day.
Click on the map to watch interviews with school district superintendents and learn how their districts are experiencing the key issues highlighted in this year’s report.
Franklin Area School District
In this video, Dr. Eugene Thomas, superintendent of the Franklin Area School District, talks about how some of the biggest challenges from the 2025 State of Education report – school facility issues, budget pressures and student mental health – impact the district.
Keystone Central School District
In this video, Dr. Francis Redmon, superintendent of the Keystone Central School District, talks about how some of the biggest challenges from the 2025 State of Education report – school facility issues, budget pressures and student mental health – impact the district.
Tunkhannock School District
In this video, Dr. Paul Dougherty, superintendent of the Tunkhannock Area School District, talks about how some of the biggest challenges from the 2025 State of Education report – school facility issues, budget pressures and student mental health – impact the district.
North Penn School District
In this video, Dr. Todd Bauer, superintendent of the North Penn School District, talks about how some of the biggest challenges from the 2025 State of Education report – school facility issues, budget pressures and student mental health – impact the district.
Canon-McMillan School District
In this video, Dr. Greg Taranto, superintendent of the Canon-McMillan School District, talks about how some of the biggest challenges from the 2025 State of Education report – school facility issues, budget pressures and student mental health – impact the district.
Report history
As the first school board association in the nation, PSBA has provided services, advocacy and counsel to inform and support public school leaders for 130 years. Together with our members, chief school administrators, and advocates and partners, we are dedicated to promoting exceptional education for Pennsylvania’s students.
To improve the public education of tomorrow, we have to know where our schools stand today. Since 2017, the State of Education report has served as the leading source of information on the biggest challenges facing public schools and their impact on education.
The data in this report provides valuable insights that inform our work on behalf of our members.
The goal of the report is to provide a high-level overview of the key indicators of the state of public education in the commonwealth, which will facilitate key education policy discussions among legislators and school leaders.
Although the report helps paint a statewide picture of the state of education, we must remember that there are districts working diligently every day to navigate an ever-changing landscape and educate the students they serve.
Member districts: Request additional copies of the report
PSBA member districts can request up to 10 additional copies of the report. Please request additional copies using the form at the link below and a member of our team will work to address your request in a timely manner.