The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Wissahickon Cs
Wissahickon CS is a charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade on Philadelphia's northwest side. It enrols a small number of students, drawn entirely from a single neighborhood zip code, with every student qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is nearly all Black students, with a very small share of Hispanic and multiracial students and a handful of white students.
The school's most recent state assessment results in math and English language arts fall substantially below proficiency. In math across grades three through eight, proficiency was in the low double digits. In ELA, proficiency was in the low twenties. Science assessment data comes from a year earlier and shows a markedly different picture: proficiency was in the low forties, with a scale score in the middle range. State testing does not cover kindergarten through second grade, so the school's elementary reading work is not reflected in these published results, though the school's own reported data shows significant gains in early literacy at its Awbury campus since implementing more intensive reading coaching.
The school's academic approach centers on science of reading principles in its K-8 literacy program. In kindergarten through third grade, it uses Reading Horizons Discovery for explicit phonics and phonemic awareness, followed by EL Education Language Arts Modules for grades K-8. In middle grades science, the school adopted a phenomena-driven, storyline-based curriculum called OpenSciEd in 2023, a shift that changes how science is taught day-to-day. The school has also partnered with an instructional coaching organization on classroom management, curriculum implementation, and content-specific math coaching; staff reported that this coaching coincided with sharply higher kindergarten reading proficiency at one campus and measurable gains in early math outcomes for students in grades K-4.
The school operates in Philadelphia, a large, walkable, mixed-use city with a strong neighborhood character, where civic life centers on the downtown core but schools are distributed throughout the city's many residential neighborhoods. The area is in a period of moderate uneven growth; growth has concentrated in Center City and University City while many neighborhoods, including the northwest section where Wissahickon sits, have not shared equally in recent development and housing growth. Housing values in the school's zip code sit below state and national benchmarks. The local economy is anchored by healthcare, higher education, financial services, life sciences, and telecommunications, though those major employers are concentrated downtown and in University City rather than in north Philadelphia.
Demographic and enrollment data for special populations were not available. A graduation rate does not apply to this school since it serves only through eighth grade. Chronic absenteeism data were not reported. The school is one of many charter schools in Philadelphia County, and state testing data do not permit a comparison of this school's performance to others in the county.
See more original research from School Decision →