Reading School District

Reading School District is a public school district serving the city of Reading, Pennsylvania, with administrative offices located at 800 Washington Street. Enrolling more than 16,000 students across 20 or more schools, it ranks as the fourth largest school district in Pennsylvania. The district operates elementary schools, middle schools, and Reading High School, whose teams and student body are known by the Red Knights name, a identity that extends well beyond athletics into the district's alumni programs and community branding.

District Overview and Service Area

The district's boundaries align with the city of Reading, a densely populated urban center in Berks County. Because the city is compact and its neighborhoods are closely spaced, most students attend a designated neighborhood elementary school before moving into the middle school and high school levels. Families who are unsure which building serves their address can use the district's Find My School tool, an online lookup that matches a residential address to the assigned attendance area. This is typically the first step for households new to the city or relocating within it.

As one of the largest districts in the state, Reading School District operates at a scale that allows for a broad course catalog, multiple specialized academies, and an extensive athletics program, while still maintaining neighborhood-level schools. The central office at 800 Washington Street handles district administration, enrollment questions, and general inquiries, and can be reached at 484-258-7000.

Academic Programs and Specialized Academies

Beyond the standard K-12 curriculum, the district has developed several distinct programs that give students different pathways through their secondary years:

• Early Career Academy: A hands-on career and technical education pathway that introduces students to skilled trades and workforce readiness skills before they graduate. The program is designed for students who want practical, applied training alongside their academic coursework.
• RHS Innovation Academy: A specialized academy housed at Reading High School built around project-based learning. Students in the academy work through innovation-focused pathways rather than a purely traditional course sequence.
• The Knight's Keep: A district program named for the Red Knights that connects students with resources tied to the Reading High School community.
• Reading Virtual Academy: A district-run online learning option. Students complete coursework remotely while remaining enrolled in Reading School District, which means they keep their district standing, records, and eligibility rather than transferring to an outside cyber school.

The availability of both an in-person comprehensive high school and a district-operated virtual academy gives families more than one way to meet graduation requirements, which can matter for students with medical needs, work obligations, or learning preferences that fit better with independent pacing.

Enrollment

Reading School District uses an online enrollment system for incoming early learners, including PreK and Kindergarten registration. A dedicated enrollment page walks families through the registration process and the documentation required. Paired with the Find My School address lookup, the online system is intended to reduce the number of in-person trips required to get a child registered for the first time. Parents of older students entering the district mid-year or from outside the city can contact the district office for guidance on the appropriate registration steps.

Family and Student Services

The district provides a set of operational services that support daily attendance and student well-being:

• Student Transportation: District busing is available for eligible students. Route information and eligibility criteria are published online so families can determine whether their child qualifies and where pickup occurs.
• School Nutrition and Meals: Breakfast and lunch are served daily across district schools. Menus are published online through Nutrislice, which allows families to view daily offerings and nutritional information by building.
• Home Access Center: The parent and student portal where grades, attendance, and academic progress can be reviewed online. The portal gives guardians ongoing visibility into coursework rather than requiring them to wait for report card periods.
• Safe2Say Tip Line: An anonymous reporting system through which students and community members can submit safety concerns or threats. The program is part of a statewide safety reporting framework used by Pennsylvania schools.

Athletics and Activities

Reading School District fields more than 30 athletic programs for Red Knights student-athletes across its schools. The scale of the program reflects the district's enrollment, with offerings spanning fall, winter, and spring seasons and multiple levels of competition. Athletics in Reading carry significant local visibility, and the Red Knights name is widely recognized across Berks County. Alongside sports, the district supports extracurricular activities and student organizations that extend learning outside the classroom, including student-produced media work connected to its alumni initiatives.

Alumni Network and Community Engagement

The district maintains an active relationship with its graduates through the Red Knight alumni network. One of its more notable efforts is the "Just A Kid From Reading" Alumni Project, a student-led initiative that produces interviews and spotlight profiles of Reading High School graduates. Because the project is created by current students, it functions both as a media and storytelling experience for the participants and as a way of showing younger students concrete examples of where a Reading education can lead.

Community members and alumni who want to contribute have several defined options:

• Volunteering in schools and at district events
• Making donations to support students and staff
• Speaking at Career Day events to share professional experience with students
• Establishing senior scholarship funds for graduating students

The district also makes its buildings available to the public. Gyms, fields, and other facilities can be reserved by community organizations for events and activities through the district's facilities rental process, which keeps school properties in use outside of instructional hours.

Employment

Reading School District accepts applications for teaching, support, and administrative positions through its AppliTrack online portal. Given the district's size, openings span classroom instruction, paraprofessional and support roles, operations, and central administration. Prospective applicants can review current postings and submit materials electronically.

Practical Information

• Address: 800 Washington St, Reading, PA 19601
• Phone: 484-258-7000
• Type: Public K-12 school district
• Enrollment: 16,000+ students across 20+ schools

Most routine tasks, including enrollment, menu viewing, grade checks, transportation lookups, job applications, and facility reservation requests, are handled through the district website. Families with questions that fall outside those systems can reach the administration building by phone during business hours.