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How has South Philadelphia HS changed in the last five years, for better or worse?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
684
High
DISTRICT 689 · STATE 738
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PHILADELPHIA CITY SD·NCES 421899003859
South Philadelphia High School
2101 S Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19148 · (215) 400-8400 · Philadelphia County
GRADES 09–12HIGH11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL684 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 6% of Pennsylvania public high schools
- DTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- DBeats 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
13.3:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 18.7:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
96%
657 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 30 | 4% |
| Grade 9 | 151 | 22% |
| Grade 10 | 175 | 26% |
| Grade 11 | 128 | 19% |
| Grade 12 | 200 | 29% |
Student demographics
69%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
23.3%
PA avg 51.1% . -11.4pp since 2023
Math
3.5%
PA avg 43.0% . -4.5pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 23 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 11 points since 2023, while math scores are down about 5 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 23.3% | 3.5% |
| 2023-24 | 34.7% | 8.0% |
% 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
15.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
36.4%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-21.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 15% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 36% 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 →
Schools most like South Philadelphia High School
South Philadelphia High School's state test result (15.2% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Philadelphia High School this school | 684 | 96.1% | 15.2% |
| Bodine William W High School Philadelphia | 489 | 94.9% | 61.2% |
| Fels Samuel High School Philadelphia | 1,255 | 98.4% | 15.4% |
| Franklin LC Philadelphia | 918 | 83.2% | 48.4% |
| Olney High School Philadephia | 1,168 | 99.7% | 15.7% |
| Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush Philadelphia | 599 | 97.3% | 64.6% |
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 South Philadelphia High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Philadelphia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 15.2% | #544 of 576 | #40 of 57 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 3.5% | #596 of 626 ▼ 31 | #58 of 67 ▼ 21 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 23.3% | #587 of 626 ▼ 30 | #53 of 67 ▼ 12 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 684 | #286 of 713 | #22 of 70 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.3:1 | #248 of 601 | #5 of 65 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 69.4% | #30 of 604 | #12 of 65 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 96.1% | #209 of 619 | #44 of 67 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +19.8% | #31 of 221 | #9 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
684
+28 (+4%) vs 2020
-60% since 1990-91, when it was 1,695
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 14.3:1
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 | 684 | 51.6 | 13.3:1 | 96% (657) |
| 2023-24 | 656 | 61 | 10.8:1 | N/A |
| 2022-23 | 611 | 51 | 12.0:1 | 100% (611) |
| 2020-21 | 656 | 46 | 14.3:1 | 100% (653) |
| 2017-18 | 571 | 49.9 | 11.4:1 | 100% (571) |
| 2015-16 | 719 | 58 | 12.4:1 | 100% (719) |
| 2010-11 | 917 | 78 | 11.8:1 | 96% (881) |
| 2000-01 | 1,191 | 71 | 16.8:1 | 86% (1,021) |
| 1990-91 | 1,695 | 117 | 14.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for South Philadelphia High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 20% (571 to 684); teachers up 3% (49.9 to 51.6).
About South Philadelphia High School
South Philadelphia High School is a high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reachable at (215) 400-8400. Enrollment stands at 684 students, covering grades 9 through 12.
Philadelphia City SD counts 220 schools and 116,230 students, including South Philadelphia High School.
About 39% of students at South Philadelphia High School are Hispanic, the largest single group. The school is also 36% Black, 11% Asian, 7% White, and 6% multiracial. The Hispanic share of the county population is lower, at 16%. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 69, compared with 70 nationally.
For every teacher at South Philadelphia High School, there are about 13.3 students; the school has 51.6 full-time-equivalent teachers. The average for high schools in Pennsylvania is about 12.8:1. There are 657 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 96% of enrollment. That is in line with the 95% average for public schools in Philadelphia County.
South Philadelphia High School earns a D on the allk12 Grade, which blends test scores, results against poverty-based expectations, and the three-year trend. It scored higher than 6% of Pennsylvania public high schools.
South Philadelphia High School is 21.2 points below expectations on state tests, given its student poverty level, placing it in the bottom 10% in Pennsylvania.
Looking at the county, Philadelphia County, the median household earns about $61,953 a year, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 35%, and about 17% of people live in poverty. Counting South Philadelphia High School, Philadelphia County has 309 public schools.
South Philadelphia High School's nearest public school is Philadelphia Performing Arts CS (about 0.3 miles). In all, at least 8 other public schools sit within five miles of South Philadelphia High School. Of the 9 nearby schools with scores, including this one, South Philadelphia High School is 9th on average proficiency.
South Philadelphia High School is coded as City: Large in federal locale data.
Over 4 years, enrollment rose by 28 students, from 656 to 684. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio dropped from 14.3:1 to 13.3:1.
This community page is for conversations about fundraisers, report cards, and school supplies. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates 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
- Philadelphia Performing Arts CS0.3 mi · 2,572
- Jenks Abram School0.3 mi · 278
- Key Francis Scott School0.4 mi · 370
- Southwark School0.5 mi · 976
- Girard Stephen School0.5 mi · 296
- Fell D Newlin School0.6 mi · 530
Frequently asked questions
About South Philadelphia High SchoolHow many students attend South Philadelphia High School?
South Philadelphia High School enrolls approximately 684 students in grades 09-12.
Is South Philadelphia High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
South Philadelphia High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does South Philadelphia High School have?
South Philadelphia High School employs 52 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.3:1.
How diverse is South Philadelphia High School?
South Philadelphia High School reports a student body of 7% White, 39% Hispanic, 36% Black, 11% Asian, 6% Two or more.
Is South Philadelphia High School public or private?
South Philadelphia High School 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.