The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Science. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Mastery Cs - Mann Campus
Mastery CS - Mann Campus is a charter school serving kindergarten through sixth grade in Philadelphia's West Berks neighborhood. It operates as part of the Mastery Charter network and educates a school-sized population that remains stable year to year across seven grade bands.
The school's student body is nearly homogeneous by race, with a substantial majority of students identifying as Black, and a small number identifying as Hispanic, multiracial, Asian, American Indian, or white. Almost all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a figure that reflects both the neighborhood's economic conditions and the school's mission. Special-population data—students with individualized education plans and English learners—were not available in the materials reviewed.
Academic proficiency on state testing shows a mixed picture. In math, fewer than one in five students tested scored at or above proficiency on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. English language arts performance was stronger but still below the midpoint, with roughly one in three students proficient. Science results, measured in a prior year and on a smaller tested cohort, showed more than one in three students proficient. None of these results place the school at the top of Philadelphia County's 87 districts, though the small grade band means state testing applies only to grades three through six.
This performance context shaped a significant recent institutional event. In June 2025, the Philadelphia School Board approved the Mann campus for a five-year charter renewal with conditions, after the Charter Schools Office categorized it as "approaching" but not yet meeting academic success. That designation matters: it signals continued operation through roughly 2030 while placing the school under ongoing performance scrutiny. A parent weighing this school should understand that renewal was not straightforward and that the district is monitoring progress.
For the coming year, the school is implementing changes that directly affect how students learn. Mastery is rolling out new English language arts curricula—Amplify CKLA in elementary grades—replacing prior programming. This is a structured, knowledge-building literacy approach that reshapes reading and writing instruction. Sixth-grade students will also receive Chromebooks as their primary way to access assignments both at school and at home, formalizing a 1:1 device model.
The school sits in a dense urban neighborhood near West Philadelphia's mixed-use landscape. Philadelphia as a whole is experiencing modest population growth concentrated in Center City, though growth is uneven across the city's many neighborhoods. The housing market in the school's ZIP code shows moderate values and rents below the state benchmark, consistent with a working- and lower-middle-class residential area.
Mastery Mann is a neighborhood elementary school with a straightforward charter mission, serving a student population that is nearly entirely economically disadvantaged and predominantly Black. The school's recent conditional renewal and modest state test results suggest it is in a rebuilding phase, anchored by new curriculum approaches and closer district oversight. Families should see the school as one positioned to improve but not yet demonstrating the outcomes that would place it at the district's highest-performing tier.
See more original research from School Decision →