"I got a fortune cookie that said, 'to remember is to understand'. I have never forgotten it. A good judge remembers what it was like to be a lawyer. A good editor remembers being a writer. A good parent remembers what it was like being a child."

Anna Quindlen

As a community, Scranton remembers what it was like being a child. That’s why Scranton invests so much in its children’s education.

Scranton is built around its families, its schools, and its places of worship. From daycare to pre-school, through K-12 and college, and on to graduate school, our children – your children – receive specialized attention in Scranton.

Scranton’s teachers are dedicated and loyal. They care about their classrooms. Many have taught the sons and daughters of their former students. As a result, dropout rates are miniscule, less than 2% in most local districts. Close to 75% of our public high school graduates further their education, many at one of the 13 colleges, universities and technical schools located throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. Close to 95% of the graduates from our private schools enroll in college.

To find detailed statistics on any public school district in Lackawanna County, just click here.

Established in 1973 through the cooperation of nine school districts in Lackawanna County, the Career Technology Center (CTC), now serving all sixteen schools districts in the county, offers outstanding programs for student in the trades, technical and allied health areas. More than 25,000 high school students and nearly 37,000 adult students have been trained to assume responsible roles in business and industry in the region. The CTC is located in north Scranton and is easily accessible from I-81 and North Main Avenue.

In addition to our 14 public school districts that make up the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, a multi-county parochial school system is operated by the Diocese of Scranton. Scranton Preparatory School, a private high school operating in the Jesuit tradition has received national accolades for the academic achievements of its students. Greater Scranton is also home to a network of Baptist schools, the Scranton Area Christian Academy, a Yeshiva High School and the Scranton Hebrew Day School. The Howard Gardner School for Discovery is also located in Scranton.

Millions of dollars have been invested in new schools and in new technology. Class sizes are small – our average student/teacher ratio is just 16 to 1 and our average graduating class size is 160. Advanced placement and gifted programs and special education services are offered by most local school districts too.

Institutions of Higher Education Serving the Greater Scranton Area

Our regional institutions of higher education offer a multitude of choices and degrees. Please click on any school to link to its web site.

• Baptist Bible College – Located in Clarks Summit, Lackawanna County, Baptist Bible College and Seminary has a long tradition of training people for the Christian ministry vocations.
• Bloomsburg University – Located on 282 acres in Bloomsburg, Columbia County, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is the largest post-secondary institution in the five county Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The University is one of 14 institutions in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education.
• College Misericordia – Founded in 1924 by the Sisters of Mercy of Dallas, PA, College Misericordia is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the region and the first four-year college in Luzerne County. Misericordia is a Catholic, four-year, co-educational liberal arts based institution serving both residential and commuter students.
• East Stroudsburg University – Located in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg University is one of 14 institutions in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1893 as a Normal School to prepare teachers, the institution changed its name in 1927 to East Stroudsburg State Teachers College and again in 1960 to East Stroudsburg State College, reflecting the addition of liberal arts and sciences curriculum. In 1983, it achieved university status.
• Johnson College – Founded in 1912, Johnson College is the region’s premier technical college, offering associate degrees in 12 programs. An emphasis on hands-on instruction is supported by a low student-to-teacher ratio. Located in Scranton on a 64-acre campus, Johnson is an accredited, private, non-profit, co-educational institution with a strong tradition of working with regional business and industry to ensure a skilled and qualified workforce.
• Keystone College – Located on a 270-acre picturesque campus in LaPlume, PA, Keystone College is a small private college founded close to 130 years ago. With about 1,000 residential and commuter students and a 13 to 1 student/faculty ratio, the opportunities for involvement and leadership are plentiful.
• King's College – Located in Wilkes-Barre, Kings is an independent, four-year college in a Catholic tradition that offers 35 major programs of study leading to Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science and Associate in Arts and Associate in Sciences degrees.
• Lackawanna College – Founded as Scranton Business College in 1894, Lackawanna College is private and non-profit and offers associate degrees in over one dozen majors and also offers certificates for several other academic programs. The college is located in Downtown Scranton in an elegant, historically certified building.
• Luzerne County Community College – LCCC’s main campus is a 122-acre site in Nanticoke, Luzerne County. A leader in technology training, LCCC is a public, two-year comprehensive community college that offers 38 two-year technical career programs; 16 two-year Liberal-Arts Sciences programs and various other certificate and personal development programs.
• Marywood University – Marywood University is a comprehensive, coeducational, Catholic university of 3,300 full-time, part-time and adult students, with over 90 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degree programs. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the university houses 1,000 resident students on a national award-winning campus considered one of the most beautiful in the northeast. Consistently ranked in the top tier of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges, Marywood University offered the region’s first doctoral degree programs in 1996 and is the region’s leading provider of graduate education with 34 master’s degree programs and 33 certificate offerings. In recent years, the university made $100 million in improvements to campus, including new athletics, residence hall, and dining facilities, and one of the finest studio arts facilities in the northeast.
• The Pennsylvania State University – Penn State’s University Park campus is located in State College, Pennsylvania, an approximately two and one half hour drive from the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre/ Hazleton Metropolitan Statistical Area. Penn State has three Commonwealth campuses within the MSA: the Worthington Scranton Campus in Dunmore, Lackawanna County, and the Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton Campuses, both located in Luzerne County. Most students enroll in local campuses as the first step toward a four-year Baccalaureate Degree, choosing from 180 majors.
• University of Scranton – A Jesuit institution in Pennsylvania’s Pocono northeast, The University of Scranton is known for many things, especially its outstanding academics, state-of-the art campus and technology, and exceptional sense of community. Founded in 1888, the University has a student population of approximately 4,800, including adult, part-time and graduate students. For eight consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton among the 10 finest master’s universities in the North – sixth in the 2002 edition. Yahoo! Internet Life has ranked Scranton among the nation’s 100 most wired colleges and universities for the past three years – 39th in the 2001 edition.
• Wilkes University – Located along the banks of the Susquehanna River in Wilkes-Barre, PA, Wilkes University is a four-year private independent institution offering Bachelors and Masters Degree programs in over 25 fields.

For more information about the educational infrastructure of the Greater Scranton area contact Chamber vice president Jeffrey A. Rubel at 570-342-7711 or E-Mail Jeff at jrubel@scrantonchamber.com.