Original Research by School Decision on Tacony Academy Cs
Tacony Academy Charter is a tuition-free public charter serving kindergarten through twelfth grade in Northeast Philadelphia. The enrollment is small, running roughly evenly across grades, with a student body that is racially and ethnically diverse. About a third of students are Black, a quarter are Hispanic, a fifth are white, and smaller shares are Asian, multiracial, and other groups.
The school has operated continuously in the district and received charter renewal from the School District of Philadelphia in 2021, securing its authorization to continue. This matters practically: families in the catchment areas of nearby neighborhood schools like Ethan Allen, Rhawnhurst, and others can apply to Tacony as a public option without tuition.
Academic performance data was not available in the state reporting system, so a reader looking for test scores or proficiency benchmarks will need to reach out to the school directly or consult the School District of Philadelphia's own reporting. The school does not report a four-year graduation rate in the data, which may reflect missing reporting rather than a gap in how the school functions; parents may want to ask the school about how graduates progress and where seniors enroll.
The school runs higher per-pupil spending than the median among Philadelphia County's districts, placing it in the upper range. This spending profile supports the school's stated approach. Beginning in the 2023-2024 school year, Tacony introduced the 7 Mindsets social-emotional learning program at the high school to align secondary work with its long-standing elementary model. The school calls its foundation a Caring School Community rooted in STEAM education, meaning academic work across subjects is paired with social-emotional development and character-building. This represents a sustained, school-wide pedagogical choice that shapes daily student experience from kindergarten through senior year.
Chronic absenteeism at the school sits above the median among the county's districts, a soft spot worth exploring directly with the school. The leadership team can explain their attendance support, any barriers families face, and what strategies they use to keep students engaged.
Tacony is a neighborhood school of modest size where nearly all students live within reach of Northeast Philadelphia. It is not an open-enrollment district. Entry is by application through the city's charter enrollment process. The fit here depends on whether a family values a K-12 pathway with continuous social-emotional and STEAM-centered academics, is comfortable with application-based entry, and finds the school's pedagogical approach aligned with what their child needs.
See more original research from School Decision →