1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at Decatur Stephen Sch right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,028
Elementary
DISTRICT 474 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PHILADELPHIA CITY SD·NCES 421899004727
Decatur Stephen School
3500 Academy Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19154 · (215) 400-3050 · Philadelphia County
GRADES KG–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,028 STUDENTS
B-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 48% of Pennsylvania public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
63 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
94%
966 students
DISTRICT 99% · STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 112 | 11% |
| Grade 1 | 123 | 12% |
| Grade 2 | 104 | 10% |
| Grade 3 | 100 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 103 | 10% |
| Grade 5 | 117 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 122 | 12% |
| Grade 7 | 125 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 122 | 12% |
This year's kindergarten class (112) is 8% smaller than its 8th grade class (122).
Student demographics
73%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
51.5%
PA avg 51.1% . -2.2pp since 2023
Math
38.8%
PA avg 43.0% . +2.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 52 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 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 2 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 3 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 51.5% | 38.8% |
| 2023-24 | 53.7% | 36.3% |
% 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
46.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
37.3%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+9.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 46% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 37% typical for Pennsylvania schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Pennsylvania's top nor bottom 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 Decatur Stephen School
Decatur Stephen School's state test result (46.4% proficient) is higher than 4 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur Stephen School this school | 1,028 | 94.0% | 46.4% |
| Fitzpatrick Aloysius L School Philadelphia | 906 | 93.5% | 32.5% |
| John Hancock Demonstration School Philadelphia | 895 | 85.3% | 45.2% |
| Farrell Louis H School Philadelphia | 1,187 | 96.9% | 35.4% |
| Holme Thomas School Philadelphia | 850 | 93.2% | 34.6% |
| Pittsburgh Colfax K-8 Pittsburgh | 789 | 93.9% | 66.6% |
Matched among Pennsylvania elementary 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 Decatur Stephen School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Philadelphia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 46.4% | #952 of 1,396 | #23 of 161 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 38.8% | #1,023 of 1,511 ▼ 2 | #28 of 193 ▼ 3 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 51.5% | #692 of 1,511 ▲ 119 | #23 of 193 ▼ 3 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,028 | #23 of 1,638 | #9 of 194 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 16.2:1 | #1,408 of 1,528 | #158 of 189 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 72.5% | #52 of 1,531 | #12 of 189 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 94.0% | #599 of 1,600 | #147 of 193 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +0.2% | #447 of 450 | #47 of 48 |
Ranked against other public elementary 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
1,028
+88 (+9%) vs 2020
+65% since 1990-91, when it was 624
Student : Teacher
16.2:1
was 17.1:1
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 | 1,028 | 63.5 | 16.2:1 | 94% (966) |
| 2023-24 | 965 | 63.2 | 15.3:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 889 | 62.2 | 14.3:1 | 100% (889) |
| 2020-21 | 940 | 55 | 17.1:1 | 100% (937) |
| 2017-18 | 1,026 | 55.2 | 18.6:1 | 100% (1,026) |
| 2015-16 | 1,025 | 53 | 19.3:1 | 100% (1,025) |
| 2010-11 | 896 | 50 | 17.9:1 | 52% (467) |
| 2000-01 | 843 | 41 | 20.6:1 | 54% (459) |
| 1990-91 | 624 | 34 | 18.4:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Decatur Stephen School.
Since 2017-18: students unchanged (1,026 to 1,028); teachers up 15% (55.2 to 63.5).
About Decatur Stephen School
Decatur Stephen School is a public elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school had 1,028 students in kindergarten through 8 in 2024-25. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Pennsylvania is about 443, so this school runs 132% larger than that.
Philadelphia City SD, which runs Decatur Stephen School, has 220 schools and 116,230 students.
Enrollment at Decatur Stephen School is mixed, with White students the largest group at 43%. The rest of enrollment is 19% Hispanic, 18% Asian, 13% Black, and 7% multiracial. Decatur Stephen School has a diversity index of 73%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
The count of teachers at Decatur Stephen School is 63.5 full-time equivalents, for a ratio of 16.2:1. The average ratio among elementary schools in Pennsylvania is 13.1:1, lower than at this school. Around 94% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. That is close to the 95% average for public schools in Philadelphia County.
allk12 grades Decatur Stephen School a B-. The grade compares the school only with Pennsylvania public elementary schools, because each state gives its own test.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 37.3% at Decatur Stephen School; the school's average proficiency rate on state tests is 46.4%.
Philadelphia County has about 1,579,706 residents, and median household income is about $61,953, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 35%, and roughly 17% of residents are in poverty. The public schools of Philadelphia County number 309 and enroll about 182,005.
Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.9 miles away. A five-mile radius around the school includes at least 8 other public schools. Decatur Stephen School's average proficiency of 46.4% compares with 38.8% for its nearest scored neighbors.
The school is inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more, according to its NCES locale (City: Large).
A comparison of 2020-21 and 2024-25 shows enrollment up 9%, from 940 to 1,028.
The discussion area below is open to posts about school events, clubs, and volunteer needs. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
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
- Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush0.9 mi · 599
- Fitzpatrick Aloysius L School1.1 mi · 906
- Cornwells Elementary School1.3 mi · 556
- MaST Community CS III1.5 mi · 1,290
- Cecelia Snyder Middle School1.6 mi · 453
- School Lane CS1.6 mi · 1,378
Frequently asked questions
About Decatur Stephen SchoolHow large is Decatur Stephen School?
Decatur Stephen School enrolls approximately 1,028 students in grades KG-08.
What grades does Decatur Stephen School serve?
Decatur Stephen School serves grades KG-08.
How many students per teacher at Decatur Stephen School?
Approximately 16.2:1 students per teacher at Decatur Stephen School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Decatur Stephen School?
At Decatur Stephen School, the student body is approximately 43% White, 19% Hispanic, 13% Black, 18% Asian, 7% Two or more.
What district is Decatur Stephen School in?
Decatur Stephen School is part of Philadelphia City SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.