This article was originally published in The Notebook. In August 2020, The Notebook became Chalkbeat Philadelphia.
Click here for a full profile of each community school from the mayor’s Office of Education.
Edward Gideon Elementary/Middle School
Edward Gideon School is located in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia. It has an enrollment of 328 students (95 percent African American, 2 percent Latino, and 3 percent other, with 56 percent of students living in poverty.
The school has a special education enrollment of nearly 15 percent and a pre-K program through Head Start. Gideon ranks 107 in academic achievement out of 140 elementary schools in the city.
Kensington Health Sciences Academy
Kensington Health Sciences Academy is one of three high schools that the Mayor’s Office of Education designated as community schools. It serves 442 students, 56 percent of whom are Latino.
About 18 percent of students are English language learners, and about 28 percent are in special education, according to the city’s press release.
The students are drawn from a community that has a poverty rate of over 30 percent and a child poverty rate of about 49 percent, according to the 2015 Community Health Assessment published by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
A quarter of adults reported “poor or fair health,” in the health assessment, according to a press release from the city.
The 2014-15 School Progress Report indicates that Kensington Health Sciences Academy ranks 67th out of 80 schools in Philadelphia for achievement – which include PSSA, Keystone Exams, ACCESS for ELLs, and reading assessments – and 16th out of 26 of its peers.
Southwark Elementary/Middle School
Southwark serves 660 students from kindergarten to 8th grade. Among these students, nearly half are English language learners, and about 10 percent are in special education.
Latino and Asian students each represent 37 percent of the student body.
The area where Southwark is located has over 23 percent of people living in poverty, according to the 2015 Community Health Assessment published by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
Southwark ranks 103rd out of 140 schools in Philadelphia in achievement, and 10th out of 11 of its peers, according to the 2014-15 School Progress Report.
Southwark has a pre-K program through Head Start.
William Cramp Elementary School
William Cramp School in Fairhill is open to students from kindergarten through 5th grade, and currently has 538 students enrolled. Latino students make up 79 percent of the student population.
The student population also includes 23 percent English language learners and about 13 percent special education students.
Cramp ranks 57th out of 59 schools in Philadelphia for achievement, and 20th out of 22 among its peers, according to the 2014-15 School Progress Report.
Cramp is located in a district with a poverty rate of 46 percent, and a childhood poverty rate of about 60 percent, according to the 2015 Community Health Assessment published by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
The press release states that 30 percent of adults in the community report “poor or fair health.”
Cramp has a pre-K program through Head Start.
William T. Tilden Middle School
Tilden Middle School, in Southwest Philadelphia, has 470 students between 5th and 8th grade. African American students constitute 86 percent of the student population. About 13 percent of students are English language learners and about 18 percent are in special education.
According to the 2014-15 School Progress Report, Tilden ranks 25th out of 35 schools in Philadelphia in achievement, and 6th out of 10 among its peers.
About 29 percent of people are living in poverty in the district where Tilden is located and about 38 percent of children there are living in poverty, according to the 2015 Community Health Assessment published by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health.
In the community, about 35 percent of adults reported “poor or fair health.”
Franklin S. Edmonds Elementary School
Edmonds Elementary School is located in West Oak Lane, where there is a 22 percent poverty rate. It has an enrollment of 486 students (89 percent African American, 2 percent Latino, and 8 percent other), of which 1 percent are English Language Learners and 19 percent are enrolled in special education. The school has a pre-K program available through Bright Futures, and ranks 28th in English, math, and science achievement out of 59 K-5 schools in the city.
James Logan Elementary School
James Logan Elementary School is located in the Logan section of Philadelphia, where there is a 22 percent poverty rate. It has an enrollment of 264 students (87 percent African American, 4 percent Latino, and 8 percent other), of which 1 percent are English language learners and 17 percent are enrolled in special education. The school has a pre-K program available through Head Start, and ranks 25th in English, math, and science achievement out of 59 K-5 schools in the city.
Murrell Dobbins CTE High School
Dobbins High School is in North Philadelphia, where there is a 58 percent poverty rate. It has an enrollment of 599 students (98 percent African American), of which 2 percent are English language learners and 16 percent are enrolled in special education. The school ranks 71st in English, math, and science achievement out of 80 high schools in the city.
South Philadelphia High School
South Philadelphia High School has an enrollment of 710 students (59 percent African American, 17 percent Asian, 13 percent Latino, and 9 percent White), of which 23 percent are English language learners, and 31 percent are enrolled in special education. The school ranks 60th in English, math, and science achievement out of 80 high schools in the city.