Original Research by School Decision on Kipp North Philadelphia Cs
KIPP North Philadelphia serves kindergarten through sixth grade as a charter school district, enrolling a small population of students from Philadelphia proper. The student body is overwhelmingly Black, with much smaller numbers of Hispanic students and a handful of students from other racial backgrounds. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, special education identification, and English learner status are not available from the school itself.
The school sits in the bottom quartile among Philadelphia County districts on chronic absenteeism, an indicator that a substantial share of students are absent regularly enough to disrupt learning. This metric suggests attendance and engagement are material concerns. Per-pupil spending sits in the middle range of the county's districts, at the lower end.
Academic performance data specific to KIPP North Philadelphia's test results are not available in the data provided. However, publicly reported accounts indicate that math proficiency has declined over two consecutive years, while English language arts scores remained flat after dropping in the prior year. These performance trends form the backdrop for the district's decision in August 2025 to pursue nonrenewal of the school's charter. The school remains open during the hearing process, but families enrolling now do so with the knowledge that the school's continued operation is uncertain. A parent considering this school would want to clarify with the district the timeline and likelihood of closure before committing.
Discipline practices at KIPP North Philadelphia also stand out as a distinctive feature. Publicly reported data show that about a quarter of the student population received a suspension in the most recent available school year. Among students with disabilities, suspension rates were notably higher than the district average. Second graders experienced particularly elevated suspension rates compared to peers in other Philadelphia schools. A parent evaluating this environment would want to understand the school's behavior policies and expectations directly.
KIPP North Philadelphia enrolls through Apply Philly Charter, a centralized lottery system where families submit one application across up to fifteen charter schools and receive a single best offer based their ranked preferences and available seats. This single-offer structure means families cannot hold multiple acceptances and must be intentional about their priority ranking.
The school operates in North Philadelphia within Philadelphia proper, a densely urban area. The grades served are kindergarten through sixth, with no middle school grades currently in enrollment.
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