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Honest take: what's the hardest part about being a student at Dobbins AVT HS?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
581
High
DISTRICT 689 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PHILADELPHIA CITY SD·NCES 421899003841
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School
2150 West Lehigh Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19132 · (215) 400-7050 · Philadelphia County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE ICAREER AND TECHNICAL SCHOOL581 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
42 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.7:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
132%
769 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 | 142 | 24% |
| Grade 10 | 146 | 25% |
| Grade 11 | 148 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 145 | 25% |
Student demographics
20%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
12.9%
PA avg 51.1% . -2.4pp since 2023
Math
3.7%
PA avg 43.0% . +3.1pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 13 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 4 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 | 12.9% | 3.7% |
| 2023-24 | 15.3% | 0.6% |
% Proficient or Advanced, all students and all tested grades.
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Where Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Philadelphia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 3.7% | #594 of 626 ▲ 22 | #56 of 67 ▲ 9 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 12.9% | #608 of 626 ▲ 4 | #64 of 67 ▲ 1 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 581 | #351 of 713 | #36 of 70 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.8:1 | #289 of 601 | #9 of 65 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 19.9% | #379 of 604 | #49 of 65 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 132% | #2 of 619 | #1 of 67 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -2.7% | #325 of 373 | #31 of 35 |
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
581
-405 (-41%) vs 2020
-66% since 1990-91, when it was 1,711
Student : Teacher
13.8:1
was 16.2:1
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 | 581 | 42.1 | 13.8:1 | N/A |
| 2023-24 | 769 | 53.6 | 14.3:1 | 100% (769) |
| 2022-23 | 896 | 51.2 | 17.5:1 | 100% (895) |
| 2020-21 | 986 | 61 | 16.2:1 | 100% (983) |
| 2017-18 | 597 | 29.4 | 20.3:1 | 100% (596) |
| 2015-16 | 593 | 36 | 16.5:1 | 100% (593) |
| 2010-11 | 794 | 62 | 12.8:1 | 100% (791) |
| 2000-01 | 1,581 | 88 | 18.0:1 | 58% (915) |
| 1990-91 | 1,711 | 101 | 16.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 3% (597 to 581); teachers up 43% (29.4 to 42.1).
About Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School is a small high school in Philadelphia City SD, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its 581 students are spread across grades 9 through 12. The school's enrollment is 21% smaller than the 738 average for high schools in Pennsylvania.
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School is in Philadelphia City SD, a district with 116,230 students across 220 schools.
Black students make up 89% of enrollment at Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School. The next largest groups are 8% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. In Philadelphia County overall, about 39% of residents are Black. The school's diversity index is 20%, meaning two students picked at random have a 20% chance of belonging to different racial or ethnic groups.
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School counts 42.1 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 13.8 students for each one. This ratio sits 1.0 above the 12.8:1 average for high schools in Pennsylvania.
Federal survey data for Philadelphia County show that the median household income is $61,953, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 17% of people live in poverty. There are 309 public schools in Philadelphia County, enrolling about 182,005 students in all.
The nearest public school is Peirce Thomas M School, at about 0.3 miles. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools.
NCES describes the area around Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School as City: Large, meaning inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School reported 986 students in 2020-21 and 581 in 2024-25. Changes that large sometimes follow a school adding or dropping grades, so the two figures may not cover the same grades. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 16.2:1 in 2020-21 to 13.8:1 in 2024-25.
If you have questions about school safety, transportation, and start times at Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School, you can post them here. 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
- Peirce Thomas M School0.3 mi · 270
- KIPP Philadelphia CS0.5 mi · 861
- KIPP North Philadelphia CS0.5 mi · 683
- Wright Richard R School0.7 mi · 242
- Dick William School0.7 mi · 343
- Frederick Douglass Mastery CS0.7 mi · 528
Frequently asked questions
About Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High SchoolHow many students attend Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School?
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School enrolls approximately 581 students in grades 09-12.
Is Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School have?
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School employs 42 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.8:1.
What is the student diversity at Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School?
Student demographics at Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School are roughly 1% White, 8% Hispanic, 89% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School in?
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School is part of Philadelphia City SD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.