The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Mast Community Cs Ii
MaST Community CS II is a public charter school serving kindergarten through twelfth grade in Philadelphia's northeast section, currently located on two campuses: a K-2 site on Rising Sun Avenue in Lawncrest and a 3-12 building on New State Road in Tacony. The school is in the final phases of a K-12 buildout that allows families to plan a full elementary-through-high-school pathway within one organization rather than transitioning between schools. The school recently completed a major campus expansion at the Tacony location, adding facilities that more than doubled the educational space and introduced a competition gymnasium, maker space, expanded media center, e-gaming suite, and outdoor learning areas.
The school enrolls a diverse student body of roughly mid-size enrollment, with families drawn from across the city's neighborhoods. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is distributed across multiple racial and ethnic groups, with Asian, Black, Hispanic, and white students each comprising substantial shares, alongside smaller numbers of multiracial students. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations were not provided in school records.
On state testing in 2024-25, MaST II shows proficiency rates that sit below the state benchmark. In grades 3-8 English language arts, the school's proficiency rate was lower than half, with roughly a third proficient in math across those grades. The math result is particularly low compared to state performance. These are among the most basic measures available and reflect the students who tested and were present on testing days. Average scale scores were not reported. The school serves a large number of students across grades 3 through 8, so sample size is not the constraint; the results indicate academic proficiency below state norms and warrant direct conversation with school leadership about the school's instructional strategy, its plan to improve these outcomes, and how student support is structured. A parent considering enrollment would benefit from understanding what the school is doing to address these gaps and what progress has looked like over time, since comparable prior-year data was not available here.
The school is a charter institution that renewed its charter with the Philadelphia Charter Schools Office in 2023, a multi-year formal review that confirms the school's legal right to continue operating as a public school.
Philadelphia itself is a large, dense, historically rooted city organized around distinctive neighborhoods with strong community identity. It is one of the most walkable major cities in the United States, with a downtown core (Center City) anchored by commerce and museums, and residential neighborhoods built on rowhouse blocks connected by local commercial corridors. The city hosts major healthcare, education, financial-services, and life-sciences employers, including the University of Pennsylvania, Comcast, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. A broad civic infrastructure includes Fairmount Park, an extensive public library system, and SEPTA transit serving multiple counties. The city is currently in a period of moderate growth, with new housing units concentrated in Center City and office-to-residential conversions underway in the core, though expansion is uneven across neighborhoods.
The Tacony and Lawncrest neighborhoods where MaST II operates are in the northeast quadrant, historically industrial and working-to-middle-class residential areas with smaller commercial nodes. Neither neighborhood is among the city's major growth zones; they reflect the more typical neighborhood-scale development pattern of older Philadelphia. Housing values in the 19111 postal area (which includes Tacony and nearby areas) are below the state average and have seen modest recent appreciation. Rental costs in that area remain relatively affordable by Philadelphia standards.
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