1
What's the one class at Southwark Sch every student should take?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
976
Elementary
DISTRICT 474 · STATE 443
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PHILADELPHIA CITY SD·NCES 421899003654
Southwark School
1835 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19148 · (215) 400-8400 · Philadelphia County
GRADES PK–08ELEMENTARY11-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL976 STUDENTS
C-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 18% 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.
- 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 elementary schools
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
64 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.6:1 · STATE 13.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
99%
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 32 | 3% |
| Kindergarten | 85 | 9% |
| Grade 1 | 104 | 11% |
| Grade 2 | 106 | 11% |
| Grade 3 | 101 | 10% |
| Grade 4 | 106 | 11% |
| Grade 5 | 103 | 11% |
| Grade 6 | 103 | 11% |
| Grade 7 | 121 | 12% |
| Grade 8 | 115 | 12% |
This year's kindergarten class (85) is 26% smaller than its 8th grade class (115).
Student demographics
61%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
36.8%
PA avg 51.1% . +5.4pp since 2023
Math
24.5%
PA avg 43.0% . +4.3pp since 2023
What this means: On the PSSA + Keystone, Pennsylvania's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 25 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Pennsylvania schools, those numbers are about 51 and 43. Reading and writing scores are up about 5 points since 2023, while math scores are up about 4 points.
PSSA + Keystone results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 36.8% | 24.5% |
| 2023-24 | 31.4% | 20.2% |
% 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
29.1%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
35.2%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-6.1pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 29% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 35% 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 Southwark School
Southwark School's state test result (29.1% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwark School this school | 976 | 99.0% | 29.1% |
| Solis-Cohen Solomon School Philadelphia | 1,350 | 94.7% | 22.8% |
| Kirkbride Eliza B School Philadelphia | 522 | 96.6% | 37.8% |
| Allen Ethan School Philadelphia | 957 | 95.3% | 16.8% |
| Moore J Hampton School Philadelphia | 1,192 | 95.5% | 37.6% |
| Northeast Community Propel Academy Philadelphia | 1,783 | 98.8% | 27.8% |
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 Southwark School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Pennsylvania | In Philadelphia County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 29.1% | #1,186 of 1,396 | #59 of 161 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 24.5% | #1,233 of 1,511 ▲ 24 | #60 of 193 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 36.8% | #1,081 of 1,511 ▲ 172 | #47 of 193 ▲ 22 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 976 | #31 of 1,638 | #10 of 194 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.4:1 | #1,316 of 1,528 | #143 of 189 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 60.7% | #303 of 1,531 | #57 of 189 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 99.0% | #385 of 1,600 | #93 of 193 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +19.6% | #90 of 450 | #19 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
976
+37 (+4%) vs 2020
+45% since 1990-91, when it was 673
Student : Teacher
15.4:1
was 15.4:1
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 | 976 | 63.6 | 15.4:1 | 99% (966) |
| 2023-24 | 966 | 63.2 | 15.3:1 | 100% (966) |
| 2022-23 | 920 | 62.2 | 14.8:1 | 100% (920) |
| 2020-21 | 939 | 61 | 15.4:1 | 100% (936) |
| 2017-18 | 816 | 49 | 16.6:1 | 100% (816) |
| 2015-16 | 692 | 41 | 16.9:1 | 100% (692) |
| 2010-11 | 515 | 37 | 13.9:1 | 99% (512) |
| 2000-01 | 648 | 41 | 15.8:1 | 91% (592) |
| 1990-91 | 673 | 39 | 17.3:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Southwark School.
Since 2017-18: students up 20% (816 to 976); teachers up 30% (49 to 63.6).
About Southwark School
Southwark School is a public elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It covers pre-K through 8, with a total enrollment of 976 students. Statewide, elementary schools in Pennsylvania average about 443 students each.
Within Philadelphia City SD, Southwark School is one of 220 schools. The district enrolls 116,230 students.
A majority of students at Southwark School, 58%, are Hispanic. Next come 19% Asian, 14% White, 7% Black, and 2% multiracial. The county population is about 16% Hispanic. Southwark School has a diversity index of 61%, compared with 70% for all US public school students.
Federal staffing data show 63.6 full-time-equivalent teachers at Southwark School and a ratio of 15.4:1. That ratio is over the 13.1:1 average for elementary schools in Pennsylvania. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 99% of students.
The allk12 Grade for Southwark School is C-. Compared with Pennsylvania public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 18% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
After adjusting for student poverty, Southwark School lands between the top and bottom 10% of Pennsylvania schools. Its average proficiency rate on state tests is 29.1%; the prediction is 35.2%.
Among Philadelphia County residents, median household income is about $61,953, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 17% of people live in poverty. Federal data list 309 public schools in Philadelphia County, with a combined enrollment of about 182,005.
The nearest public school is Kirkbride Eliza B School, at about 0.4 miles. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Among the 9 closest schools with test data, this one included, Southwark School ranks 7th on average proficiency.
The NCES locale for Southwark School is City: Large, which covers schools inside a principal city with a population of 250,000 or more.
The number of students climbed from 939 to 976 over 4 years.
Parents and students can post about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news at Southwark School. 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
- Kirkbride Eliza B School0.4 mi · 522
- Key Francis Scott School0.4 mi · 370
- South Philadelphia High School0.5 mi · 684
- Furness Horace High School0.5 mi · 896
- Fanny Jackson Coppin School0.6 mi · 547
- Christopher Columbus CS0.6 mi · 829
Frequently asked questions
About Southwark SchoolHow large is Southwark School?
Southwark School enrolls approximately 976 students in grades PK-08.
What grades does Southwark School serve?
Southwark School serves grades PK-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwark School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Southwark School is approximately 15.4:1 (64 FTE teachers).
How diverse is Southwark School?
Southwark School reports a student body of 14% White, 58% Hispanic, 7% Black, 19% Asian, 2% Two or more.
Who oversees Southwark School?
Southwark School is overseen by Philadelphia City SD in Philadelphia County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.