1
Which teacher or staff member at First Philadelphia Preparatory CS deserves more recognition?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,831
Combined
STATE 1,819
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·FIRST PHILADELPHIA PREPARATORY CS·NCES 420009300687
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS
4300 Tacony St, Philadelphia, PA 19124 · (215) 743-3100 · Philadelphia County
GRADES KG–12COMBINED11-CITYCHARTERTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,831 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 11% of Pennsylvania public K-12 schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C-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 K-12 schools
Student : Teacher
17.5:1
105 FTE teachers
STATE 15.5:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
1,818 students
STATE 75%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other combined schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 137 | 7% |
| Grade 1 | 150 | 8% |
| Grade 2 | 151 | 8% |
| Grade 3 | 156 | 9% |
| Grade 4 | 163 | 9% |
| Grade 5 | 166 | 9% |
| Grade 6 | 166 | 9% |
| Grade 7 | 159 | 9% |
| Grade 8 | 164 | 9% |
| Grade 9 | 120 | 7% |
| Grade 10 | 105 | 6% |
| Grade 11 | 100 | 5% |
| Grade 12 | 94 | 5% |
This year's kindergarten class (137) is 16% smaller than its 8th grade class (164).
Student demographics
67%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
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
15.8%
PA avg 51.1% . -3.0pp since 2023
Math
6.2%
PA avg 43.0% . +0.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 16 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 6 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 have held steady.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 15.8% | 6.2% |
| 2023-24 | 18.8% | 5.9% |
% 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
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of PA schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
14.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.0%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-20.4pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 15% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 35% typical for Pennsylvania schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,831
-21 (-1%) vs 2020
+149% since 2010-11, when it was 735
Student : Teacher
17.5:1
was 19.7:1
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 | 1,831 | 104.5 | 17.5:1 | 99% (1,818) |
| 2023-24 | 1,818 | 104 | 17.5:1 | 100% (1,818) |
| 2022-23 | 1,822 | 97 | 18.8:1 | 100% (1,821) |
| 2020-21 | 1,852 | 94 | 19.7:1 | 100% (1,849) |
| 2017-18 | 1,807 | 110 | 16.4:1 | 100% (1,806) |
| 2015-16 | 1,665 | 83 | 20.1:1 | 87% (1,454) |
| 2010-11 | 735 | 48 | 15.3:1 | 84% (615) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for First Philadelphia Preparatory CS.
Since 2017-18: students up 1% (1,807 to 1,831); teachers down 5% (110 to 104.5).
About First Philadelphia Preparatory CS
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS, a mid-sized school serving multiple grade levels, is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school serves kindergarten through 12. Enrollment is 1,831 students.
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS operates as its own local education agency.
The biggest share of students at First Philadelphia Preparatory CS, 45%, is Black. The rest of enrollment is 31% Hispanic, 17% multiracial, and 6% White. The diversity index for First Philadelphia Preparatory CS is 67%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
There are 104.5 full-time-equivalent teachers at the school, a ratio of 17.5:1. Compared with the 15.5:1 average for combined schools in Pennsylvania, this school's ratio is higher. On the income side, 99% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS holds a D allk12 Grade, placing it above 11% of Pennsylvania public K-12 schools.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for First Philadelphia Preparatory CS is -20.4 points, in the bottom 10% of Pennsylvania. Its average proficiency rate across its state test results is 14.6%, and the predicted rate is 35.0%.
Philadelphia County is the school's county. There, the median household earns about $61,953 a year, roughly 35% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 17% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Public schools in Philadelphia County number 309, with about 182,005 students.
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS's closest public school neighbor is Stearne Allen M School, about 0.4 miles away. Within five miles of First Philadelphia Preparatory CS, there are at least 8 other public schools. On proficiency, First Philadelphia Preparatory CS is behind the 31.0% nearby average, ranking 7th of 8.
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS falls in the City: Large locale category, used for schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more. First Philadelphia Preparatory CS operates as a charter school, which is publicly funded and run under a charter.
Enrollment went from 1,852 in 2020-21 to 1,831 in 2024-25, a change of 21 students. The ratio was 19.7:1 in 2020-21 and 17.5:1 in 2024-25.
Use the discussion section to ask about special education services, counseling, and support programs at First Philadelphia Preparatory CS. You can also rate the school on this page.
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
- 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
- Northeast Community Propel AcademyElementary · 1,783 students
Nearby schools
- Stearne Allen M School0.4 mi · 372
- Harding Warren G Middle School0.5 mi · 570
- Marshall John School0.6 mi · 250
- Mariana Bracetti Academy CS0.7 mi · 1,512
- Maritime Academy CS0.8 mi · 829
- Franklin Towne CHS0.8 mi · 1,292
Frequently asked questions
About First Philadelphia Preparatory CSHow many students attend First Philadelphia Preparatory CS?
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS enrolls approximately 1,831 students in grades KG-12.
Is First Philadelphia Preparatory CS an elementary, middle, or high school?
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS is a combined-grade school covering grades KG-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at First Philadelphia Preparatory CS?
The student-to-teacher ratio at First Philadelphia Preparatory CS is approximately 17.5:1 (105 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at First Philadelphia Preparatory CS?
At First Philadelphia Preparatory CS, the student body is approximately 6% White, 31% Hispanic, 45% Black, 1% Asian, 17% Two or more.
Who oversees First Philadelphia Preparatory CS?
First Philadelphia Preparatory CS is overseen by First Philadelphia Preparatory CS in Philadelphia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.