Original Research by School Decision on Passport Academy Cs
Passport Academy is a public charter school serving grades ten through twelve in Allegheny County, with a small enrollment concentrated in the upper grades. The student body is predominantly Black, with a very small number of students from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. Financial and demographic data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility and special populations were not available.
The school has undergone significant structural changes in recent years. In 2024, Pittsburgh Public Schools initiated the process to revoke Passport Academy's charter based on allegations of charter violations and low state exam performance. Publicly reported accounts indicate that a very small share of students met state standards in English and literature during the 2022-23 school year, and no students met state standards in mathematics that year. The school and the district subsequently reached a settlement that renewed the charter and kept the school open, contingent on defined enrollment procedures and enrollment agreements families must sign.
In response to curriculum concerns raised by district administrators, Passport Academy switched to an individualized McGraw-Hill curriculum during the 2023-24 school year. This represents a substantive shift in instructional approach and content delivery. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how this curriculum change is being implemented and what outcomes it is producing.
The school is also relocating. It previously operated in Downtown Pittsburgh and more recently moved to a temporary site in Garfield. School officials have signed an agreement to move to a permanent location in Uptown Pittsburgh, with plans to open there for an enrollment of approximately that order of magnitude. Families should confirm the current address and timeline before enrolling.
Among Allegheny County's districts, Passport Academy reports a chronic absenteeism rate in the bottom quartile, meaning attendance is a significant challenge. Per-pupil spending is in the upper range for the county, reflecting the per-student cost of running a small school.
State assessment data and a four-year graduation rate were not available, likely because the school is small, operates only at the high school level, or both. A parent interested in this school would benefit from requesting recent academic performance data directly from the school and discussing the curriculum change, enrollment process, and location transition in detail.
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