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SCHOOL COMMUNITY·UPPER DARBY SD·NCES 422432001972

Upper Darby SHS

601 North Lansdowne Avenue, Drexel Hill, PA 19026 · (610) 622-7000 · Delaware County
GRADES 09–12HIGH21-SUBURBTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL4,187 STUDENTS
Enrollment
4,187
High
DISTRICT 936 · STATE 738
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
246 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.5:1 · STATE 12.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
101%
4,231 students
DISTRICT 102% · 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
Grade 9
1,053
Grade 10
1,073
Grade 11
1,043
Grade 12
1,018
Student demographics
White
62215%
DISTRICT 14% · STATE 60%
Hispanic
69417%
DISTRICT 19% · STATE 16%
Black
2,12951%
DISTRICT 46% · STATE 14%
Asian
58514%
DISTRICT 15% · STATE 5%
Two+
1484%
DISTRICT 6% · STATE 5%
Native American
60%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0%
Pacific Islander
30%
DISTRICT 0% · STATE 0%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Male
2,16652%
Female
2,02148%

Discussions

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Test scores

PSSA + Keystone 2024-25 . % Proficient or Advanced
English Language Arts
32.4%
PA avg 51.1% . -12.5pp since 2023
Math
19.0%
PA avg 43.0% . -1.7pp since 2023
Source: PSSA + Keystone. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →

BeatsExpectations

Demographically-adjusted score · methodology
Tier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
30.6%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
34.3%
based on PA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-3.7pp
below demographic expectation
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →

7-year change

SY 2017-18 vs SY 2024-25
Enrollment
4,187
+470 (+13%) vs 2017
Student : Teacher
17.0:1
was 15.5:1
% White
15%
was 26%
% Hispanic
17%
was 7%
% Black
51%
was 50%
% Asian
14%
was 15%
Source: NCES Common Core of Data

About Upper Darby SHS

Upper Darby SHS operates as a sprawling 9-12 campus in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, overseen by Upper Darby SD. Current enrollment sits at 4,187 students spanning grades 9 through 12. By comparison, Pennsylvania's public schools average about 738 students each, so Upper Darby SHS sits 467% larger than that benchmark.

Upper Darby SHS is one of 13 schools operated by Upper Darby SD, a district that works with 12,173 students overall.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Upper Darby SHS reports that the largest single group is Black at 51%, but no single group is in the majority. Beyond that, the school logs 17% Hispanic, 15% White, 14% Asian, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 22% Black, putting the school's mix noticeably more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, Staff filings list 246 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to roughly 17.0:1 students per teacher. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 12.8:1, putting Upper Darby SHS higher than the state norm the norm. Around 101% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. That share is noticeably above Delaware County's rate of about 58%.

After controlling for student poverty, Upper Darby SHS performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 34.3%, the actual is 30.6%, a residual of -3.7 points.

Zooming out to the county, the surrounding county (Delaware County) logs that median household earnings sit near $89,546, roughly 42% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 7%. In all, Delaware County runs 113 public schools (combined enrollment of about 74,663 students), of which Upper Darby SHS is one.

Drexel Hill MS is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.7 miles from this campus. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. On composite proficiency, Upper Darby SHS comes 3rd of 8 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 26.0%.

The campus sits in an outer-ring setting.

Over the past 7-year window. Upper Darby SHS's enrollment has ticked up 13% since 2018, when it stood at 3,717 (now 4,187). The White share of enrollment edged down from 26% to 15% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio widened from 15.5:1 in 2018 to 17.0:1 today.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the Upper Darby SHS community share and discuss sports schedules, lunch menu changes, and school spirit week. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.

Delaware County at a glance

View full county profile
Population
579,222
Census ACS
Median income
$89,546
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
42%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
7%
Below federal line
Schools in county
113
74,663 students

Quick facts

School name
Upper Darby SHS
District
Upper Darby SD
Address
601 North Lansdowne Avenue, Drexel Hill, PA 19026
Phone
(610) 622-7000
County
Delaware County
Level
High
Grade range
09–12
Total enrollment
4,187
Teachers (FTE)
246
Student–teacher ratio
17.0:1
Free/Reduced lunch
4,231 (101%)
Locale
21-Suburb: Large
NCES ID
422432001972
Charter school
No
Virtual school
No

Related schools

Other schools in Upper Darby SD
Other schools in Drexel Hill
Nearby schools

Frequently asked questions

About Upper Darby SHS
What is the total enrollment at Upper Darby SHS?
Upper Darby SHS enrolls approximately 4,187 students in grades 09-12.
What grades does Upper Darby SHS serve?
Upper Darby SHS serves grades 09-12.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Upper Darby SHS?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Upper Darby SHS is approximately 17.0:1 (246 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Upper Darby SHS?
At Upper Darby SHS, the student body is approximately 15% White, 17% Hispanic, 51% Black, 14% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Upper Darby SHS?
Upper Darby SHS is overseen by Upper Darby SD in Delaware County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.
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