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Superintendent Tony Watlington says it repeatedly: He wants Philadelphia to be the “fastest improving large, urban school district in the country.”
But state test scores from the 2024-25 school year, released Thursday, show the district still has a lot of work to do.
Around a quarter of students in grades 3-8 achieved proficient scores in math on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, or PSSA, last school year. That marks a slight improvement from the prior school year.
But elementary and middle school students’ reading scores dipped slightly, with around one-third of students achieving proficient scores.
The new data also shows big disparities in student achievement. Black and Hispanic students scored significantly lower than their white and Asian peers. Students who are economically disadvantaged also scored lower than the district average.
Scores remained particularly low for students with disabilities, even though district officials said last year they had a “robust plan” to boost those students’ achievement.
Around 8% of students with disabilities scored proficient in reading last school year, which is nearly identical to the year before. Around 6% scored proficient in math, a slight increase.
The state received a federal waiver for the science PSSA and did not report scores from the last school year because the state was in the process of adopting and implementing new science standards. Students still took a form of the science PSSA last year and the state reported participation rates.
In high school, when students take Keystone exams rather than PSSAs, nearly half of all students passed the literature Keystone test by 11th grade. Around one-third passed the biology Keystone and one-fourth passed the algebra Keystone. (Most students must demonstrate proficiency in Keystone subjects to graduate, but they can do so by meeting other requirements, like passing related classes.)
Preliminary data the district shared in October showed that last school year, student and teacher attendance rose several percentage points. The district also had more than 800 fewer students drop out than the previous year.
Test scores show statewide dip in reading achievement
Philadelphia students’ scores still remain far below the state average.
But the district’s struggle to boost reading scores isn’t unique. Statewide, reading scores of students in grades 3-8 fell by four percentage points last year — a larger drop than in Philly.
As part of the state budget, which passed Wednesday, Pennsylvania committed $10 million to literacy initiatives. The budget also included new requirements that all school districts must use evidence-based reading curriculum beginning with the 2027-28 school year.
Philadelphia implemented a new reading curriculum last year as part of its $100 million curriculum overhaul. The school year before that, it implemented a new math curriculum, and this year it rolled out a new science curriculum.
District officials previously said the new reading scores exposed weak points in how they implemented the new curriculum, and that they planned to provide more support for students and training for staff.
Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that affect students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.
