Laboratory CS

As a mid-tier elementary campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Laboratory CS enrolls 461 students from grades K through 8, part of Laboratory CS.

Laboratory CS is the operating authority for Laboratory CS, handling staffing, calendars, and reporting to the state department of education.

Looking at the student body, Laboratory CS shows that 93% of students identify as Black, making the school strongly Black-majority; the rest reads as 5% Hispanic. By comparison, Philadelphia County as a whole is about 39% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Laboratory CS has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 21.9:1. The state averages around 13.1:1, so this campus is higher than the state norm typical. Roughly 39% of students at Laboratory CS qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. Set against Philadelphia County (around 95%), the school's rate is noticeably below typical.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Laboratory CS falls in the UNDERPERFORMING tier of the BeatsExpectations residual. Given its student profile, a typical campus would land near 60.8%; this one comes in at 8.9%, -51.9 points off the demographic line.

In the broader community, census data for Philadelphia County shows median household earnings sit near $61,953, about 35% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 17%. Laboratory CS is one of 309 public schools in Philadelphia County (combined enrollment of about 182,005 students).

The closest other public school is Bethune Mary McLeod Sch, roughly 0.2 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Laboratory CS at 5th of 6; the average score across the group is 13.4%.

The campus sits in a downtown setting. As a public charter, Laboratory CS runs on public funding but with greater curricular and operational autonomy than a typical district school.

Trend over the last 7 years. Laboratory CS's enrollment has edged down 20% since 2018, when it stood at 577 (now 461). The Black share of enrollment rose from 88% to 93% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 24.6:1 in 2018 to 21.9:1 today.

On the community side, posts here usually surface around open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.