Fairfield Area School District is a small, rural, public school district. It is located in the south western portion of Adams County, Pennsylvania. It serves: the boroughs of Fairfield and Carroll Valley, as well as Hamiltonban Township and Liberty Township. Fairfield Area School District encompasses approximately 61 square miles (160 km2). Per 2000 federal census data, it served a resident population of 7,056. In 2010, Fairfield Area School District's population rose to 7,998 people. The educational attainment levels for the Fairfield Area School District population (25 years old and over) were 87.4% high school graduates and 22.3% college graduates. The district is one of the 500 public school districts of Pennsylvania.
According to the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, 19.5% of the District's pupils lived at 185% or below the Federal Poverty Level [1] Archived 2015-08-10 at the Wayback Machine as shown by their eligibility for the federal free or reduced price school meal programs in 2012. In 2009, the Fairfield Area School District residents' per capita income was $20,625 a year, while the median family income was $52,087. In the Commonwealth, the median family income was $49,501 and the United States median family income was $49,445, in 2010. In Adams County, the median household income was $59,492. By 2013, the median household income in the United States rose to $52,100. In 2014, the median household income in the USA was $53,700.According to Fairfield Area School District officials, in school year 2007–2008, the District provided basic educational services to 1,290 pupils. It employed: 94 teachers, 57 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 7 administrators. Fairfield Area School District received more than $4.9 million in state funding in school year 2007–2008. Fairfield Area School District received more than $4.9 million in state funding in school year 2007–2008. By 2013, the District's enrollment had declined to 1,117 students.Fairfield Area School District operates three schools: Fairfield Area High School (grades 9–12) and Fairfield Area Middle School (grades 5–8) together in the main building and Fairfield Area Elementary School (grades k-4) in a separate building.