Original Research by School Decision on Harambee Institute of Science and Technology Cs
Harambee Institute of Science and Technology CS is a single-school charter district serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Philadelphia County. The school enrolls a small population, distributed fairly evenly across its grade span, with the student body nearly entirely Black. Demographic data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education enrollment, and English learners are not publicly available for this entity.
The school's academic standing carries immediate weight for families considering enrollment. According to publicly reported data, students have performed substantially below state proficiency averages in both math and reading. The charter schools office conducted a recent evaluation that documented these persistent shortfalls across tested subjects and grades. This academic performance pattern is the central fact shaping the school's immediate future and the expectations a parent should carry into any conversation with the school.
In May of this year, the Philadelphia School District's Charter Schools Office recommended a five-year charter renewal with conditions attached. The renewal decision ties Harambee's continued operation to meeting specific conditions in academic performance, organizational compliance, and financial stability over the coming years. This conditional status—rather than an outright renewal or nonrenewal—reflects the office's assessment that the school has not yet met standards in major categories but retains the possibility of improvement under defined terms. For a family, this means the school is operating under formal scrutiny with a clear pathway and timeline for demonstrating progress.
State assessment data specific to Harambee's results are not available in standard public reporting format, so a parent may want to ask the school directly for its most recent test scores in math and reading by grade level, and what interventions or changes the school has put in place since the charter evaluation. The school should be able to provide detail on how it is working toward the conditions the district has set.
When compared with other districts in Philadelphia County on chronic absenteeism, Harambee reports a rate in the bottom quartile—substantially higher than the county median—which suggests attendance is a challenge the school is managing. Per-pupil spending sits in the lower range relative to county districts, which may bear on the resources available for instruction and support.
The school's governance structure as an independent charter district means it operates with its own board and administrative apparatus separate from the Philadelphia School District proper, though it remains subject to the district's charter oversight and renewal process. For families weighing this option, the conditional renewal carries both risk and clarity: the school's next phase depends on measurable progress, and that accountability is now formal and public.
See more original research from School Decision →