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Alumni: what's one memory from Academy at Palumbo that still sticks with you?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,225
High
DISTRICT 689 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PHILADELPHIA CITY SD·NCES 421899000962
Academy at Palumbo
1100 Catharine St, Philadelphia, PA 19147 · (215) 400-8130 · Philadelphia County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,225 STUDENTS
A+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 99% of Pennsylvania public high schools
- A+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Pennsylvania public high schools
Student : Teacher
35.1:1
35 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.7:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
97%
1,188 students
DISTRICT 99% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 302 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 288 | 24% |
| Grade 11 | 332 | 27% |
| Grade 12 | 303 | 25% |
Student demographics
76%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 71% · STATE 59% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or AdvancedEnglish Language Arts
91.7%
PA avg 51.1% . -3.0pp since 2023
Math
74.1%
PA avg 43.0% . -2.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 92 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 74 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 2 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 91.7% | 74.1% |
| 2023-24 | 94.7% | 76.2% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
OUTPERFORMING
Top 10% of PA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
80.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.0%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+44.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 80% of students here test proficient in math and reading, well above the roughly 36% typical for Pennsylvania schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations ranks schools against others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school can post high scores and still fall short of its prediction, or post lower scores and still beat it. This school clears its prediction by about 44 points, placing it in Pennsylvania's top 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Academy at Palumbo
Academy at Palumbo's state test result (80.2% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy at Palumbo this school | 1,225 | 97.0% | 80.2% |
| Central High School Philadelphia | 2,329 | 98.2% | 85.3% |
| Furness Horace High School Philadelphia | 896 | 91.7% | 23.1% |
| Northeast High School Philadelphia | 3,463 | 94.3% | 37.6% |
| Gamp Philadelphia | 634 | 91.0% | 78.3% |
| Bensalem Twp High School Bensalem | 2,151 | 98.4% | 44.9% |
Matched among Pennsylvania high schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Academy at Palumbo ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Philadelphia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 80.2% | #26 of 576 | #3 of 57 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 74.1% | #28 of 626 ▼ 9 | #2 of 67 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 91.7% | #12 of 626 ▼ 5 | #3 of 67 ▲ 2 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,225 | #124 of 713 | #7 of 70 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 35.1:1 | #600 of 601 | #65 of 65 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 75.8% | #5 of 604 | #2 of 65 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 97.0% | #200 of 619 | #41 of 67 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +33.7% | #14 of 221 | #5 of 31 |
Ranked against other public high schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,225
+124 (+11%) vs 2020
+116% since 2010-11, when it was 567
Student : Teacher
35.1:1
was 38.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,225 | 34.9 | 35.1:1 | 97% (1,188) |
| 2023-24 | 1,188 | 63.1 | 18.8:1 | 100% (1,185) |
| 2022-23 | 1,179 | 52.4 | 22.5:1 | 100% (1,176) |
| 2020-21 | 1,101 | 29 | 38.0:1 | 100% (1,098) |
| 2017-18 | 916 | 21.4 | 42.8:1 | 100% (916) |
| 2015-16 | 883 | 13 | 67.9:1 | 100% (883) |
| 2010-11 | 567 | 29 | 19.6:1 | 49% (280) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Academy at Palumbo.
Since 2017-18: students up 34% (916 to 1,225); teachers up 63% (21.4 to 34.9).
About Academy at Palumbo
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is home to Academy at Palumbo, a large high school. Enrollment is 1,225 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 9 through 12. Against the 738-student average for high schools in Pennsylvania, enrollment here is 66% higher.
Philadelphia City SD is the district for Academy at Palumbo. It has 220 schools and 116,230 students.
At Academy at Palumbo, the largest share of students is Asian, at 34%. Next come 25% Black, 18% Hispanic, 17% White, and 5% multiracial. The county population is about 8% Asian. The school's diversity index is 76%, meaning two students picked at random have a 76% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
The school employs the equivalent of 34.9 full-time teachers, for a ratio of 35.1:1. That is 22.3 students per teacher above the 12.8:1 average for high schools in Pennsylvania. The free or reduced-price lunch rate at Academy at Palumbo is 97%. For comparison, public schools in Philadelphia County average 95%.
Academy at Palumbo is graded A+ by allk12, scoring above 99% of Pennsylvania public high schools once test results, poverty-adjusted performance, and the recent trend are combined.
Academy at Palumbo is in the top 10% of Pennsylvania schools on the allk12 BeatsExpectations measure. Based on its free or reduced-price lunch share, the model predicts an average proficiency rate on state tests of 36.0%. The school's actual rate is 80.2%, 44.1 points higher.
County data help place the school in context: in Philadelphia County, the median household income is $61,953, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 35%, and about 17% of people live in poverty. In all, Philadelphia County has 309 public schools and roughly 182,005 students.
Creative and Performing Arts is located about 0.2 miles from Academy at Palumbo. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. On proficiency, Academy at Palumbo is ahead of the 50.8% nearby average, ranking 1st of 9.
Under the NCES locale system, Academy at Palumbo is City: Large.
Enrollment has grown by 124 students since 2020-21, to 1,225. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 35.1:1, from 38.0:1.
Families, students, and staff can use this page to discuss enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Academy at Palumbo. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
Philadelphia County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
1,579,706
Census ACS
Median income
$61,953
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
35%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
17%
Below federal line
Schools in county
309
182,005 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Philadelphia City SD
- Northeast High SchoolHigh · 3,463 students
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 2,472 students
- Central High SchoolHigh · 2,329 students
- Northeast Community Propel AcademyElementary · 1,783 students
- Mayfair SchoolElementary · 1,763 students
- Washington George High SchoolHigh · 1,755 students
Other schools in Philadelphia
- Northeast High SchoolHigh · 3,463 students
- Philadelphia Performing Arts CSCombined · 2,572 students
- Lincoln High SchoolHigh · 2,472 students
- Central High SchoolHigh · 2,329 students
- MaST Community CS IICombined · 1,875 students
- First Philadelphia Preparatory CSCombined · 1,831 students
Nearby schools
- Creative and Performing Arts0.2 mi · 643
- Universal Institute CS0.3 mi · 597
- Fanny Jackson Coppin School0.4 mi · 547
- Christopher Columbus CS0.5 mi · 829
- Nebinger George W School0.5 mi · 391
- Stanton Edwin M School0.5 mi · 329
Frequently asked questions
About Academy at PalumboWhat is the total enrollment at Academy at Palumbo?
Academy at Palumbo enrolls approximately 1,225 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Academy at Palumbo serve?
Academy at Palumbo serves grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Academy at Palumbo have?
Academy at Palumbo employs 35 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 35.1:1.
What is the student diversity at Academy at Palumbo?
Student demographics at Academy at Palumbo are roughly 17% White, 18% Hispanic, 25% Black, 34% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Academy at Palumbo public or private?
Academy at Palumbo is a public K-12 school, overseen by Philadelphia City SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.