Pennsylvania K-12 Email Security Intelligence:
DNS Authentication Profiling of 792 School District LEAs

Lokentra Research Team
Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series
April 22, 2026
research@monitorworkspace.com • monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Abstract

We present DNS email security profiling for 792 K-12 LEAs in Pennsylvania, of which 722 have active domains (91.2% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). Pennsylvania K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 57.2/100, with 34.8% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 19.0% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 62.2% have any DMARC record, and just 31.7% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 37.8% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 722 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.

Keywords: Pennsylvania, K-12 email security, DMARC, SPF, school district cybersecurity, DNS authentication, Google Workspace, education technology

1. Dataset Overview

Table 1. Pennsylvania K-12 Dataset Summary
MetricValue
Total K-12 LEAs in state792
Regular school districts500
Charter LEAs182
Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.)110
LEAs with active internet domain722 (91.2%)
Domains DNS-profiled722
Data freshness (NCES CCD)2024-2025 school year
DNS scan dateApril 22, 2026

2. The Human Impact: Populations at Risk

To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. Pennsylvania K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 2,926 schools.

Table 2. Estimated Population Exposure from K-12 Email Security Gaps — Pennsylvania
PopulationTotal in DatasetAt Risk (No DMARC, 37.8%)Critically Exposed (Grade F, 19.0%)
Students1,114,806421,396211,813
Parents and guardians2,229,612842,793423,626
Staff and educators149,22656,40728,352
Total people3,493,6441,320,597663,792

Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.

3. Authentication Findings

3.1 Protocol Adoption

Table 3. Email Authentication Protocol Adoption — Pennsylvania K-12
ProtocolPennsylvaniaNational K-12 (ESI)vs. National
SPF (any configuration)85.3%79.7%+5.6pp
DKIM (key published)65.7%59.6%+6.1pp
DMARC (any policy)62.2%55.5%+6.7pp
DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject)31.7%~21.0%+10.7pp
DMARC at reject (full enforcement)12.3%~12.2%+0.1pp
No MX records (not receiving email)4.3%~10.0%-5.7pp

3.2 ESI Grade Distribution

Table 4. ESI Score Grade Distribution — Pennsylvania K-12
GradeScoreDistrictsShareInterpretation
A90–10011616.1%Full enforcement
B70–8913518.7%Strong posture
C50–6924634.1%Partial protection
D30–498812.2%Weak configuration
F0–2913719.0%Minimal/no authentication
Average score57.2 / 100

3.3 Email Provider Distribution

Table 5. Email Provider Distribution — Pennsylvania K-12 (top providers)
ProviderDistrictsShare
Google Workspace34647.9%
Microsoft 36520928.9%
Mimecast415.7%
Barracuda365.0%
Sophos60.8%
GoDaddy60.8%

4. District-Level Data

4.1 Top Performing Districts (Best ESI Scores)

Table 6. Top 15 Pennsylvania K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Avon Grove CS agcharter.org Chester County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Pennsylvania Distance Learning CS padistance.org Allegheny County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Erie City SD eriesd.org Erie County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Annville-Cleona SD acschools.org Lebanon County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Antietam SD antietamsd.org Berks County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Pine-Richland SD pinerichland.org Allegheny County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Bethlehem Area SD basdschools.org Northampton County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Allentown City SD allentownsd.org Lehigh County Fortinet ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Brandywine Heights Area SD bhasd.org Berks County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Brentwood Borough SD bb-sd.com Allegheny County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Central York SD cysd.k12.pa.us York County Barracuda ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Clairton City SD clairton.k12.pa.us Allegheny County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Clearfield Area SD clearfield.org Clearfield County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Elizabeth Forward SD efsd.net Allegheny County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 100 A
Forest Hills SD fhrangers.org Cambria County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 100 A

4.2 Districts Most in Need of Improvement (Lowest ESI Scores)

Table 7. Bottom 15 Pennsylvania K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Imhotep Institute CHS imhotephighschool.com Philadelphia County GoDaddy ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Laboratory CS thelaboratorycharterschool.com Philadelphia County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Collegium CS collegiumcharter.com Chester County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Eugenio Maria De Hostos CS hostoscharter.org Philadelphia County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Souderton CS Collaborative scsc4kids.org Montgomery County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Philadelphia Performing Arts CS ppacs.org Philadelphia County GoDaddy ✗ ✗ — 0 F
People for People CS peopleforpeople.org Philadelphia County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Independence CS independencecharter.org Philadelphia County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
21st Century Cyber CS 21stcenturycyber.org Chester County Barracuda ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Fell CS fellcharter.org Lackawanna County GoDaddy ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Evergreen Community CS evergreencommunityschool.org Monroe County Google Workspace ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Pan American Academy CS panamericanacademy.org Philadelphia County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
ASPIRA Bilingual Cyber CS abccs.org Philadelphia County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
HOPE for Hyndman CS hopeforhyndman.com Bedford County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Erie Rise Leadership Academy CS erierise.org Erie County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F

4.3 County-Level Summary (Top 10 Counties by District Count)

Table 8. Pennsylvania County Distribution
CountyDistrictsWebsite Coverage
Philadelphia County9183.5%
Allegheny County7696.1%
Montgomery County30100.0%
Chester County2295.5%
Westmoreland County22100.0%
Delaware County2195.2%
Berks County21100.0%
Erie County2095.0%
Lancaster County20100.0%
Bucks County20100.0%

5. Policy Implications

These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in Pennsylvania's K-12 email security posture. The 37.8% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:

6. Data Availability

The full Pennsylvania K-12 dataset — 792 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.

Table 9. Licensing Tiers
TierScopeSuggested Use
State Pack: PennsylvaniaAll 792 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichmentRegional studies, state policy, outreach
K-12 NationalAll 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAsNational K-12 cybersecurity research
Full Registry801,359+ entities across all sectorsComprehensive multi-sector research
API + UpdatesQuarterly re-scan, REST APILongitudinal studies, live dashboards

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Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). Pennsylvania K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 792 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/pa-k12-paper.html

Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.

National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.