The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in Science. The lowest is 4% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Edgmont Scholars Academy
Edgmont Scholars Academy serves grades pre-K through eighth in Chester, a small post-industrial city on the Delaware River in Delaware County. The school was born from a significant transition in 2022, when Widener University transferred its Partnership Charter School to the Chester-Upland School District, which purchased it and converted it into a district-run public school now called Edgmont Scholars Academy. That transfer came with an attached scholarship commitment: every Chester-Upland high school graduate who meets Widener's admissions requirements receives a guaranteed scholarship covering tuition for undergraduate study, plus graduate scholarships for district teachers and administrators. For families whose children will continue through the district to high school, this is a concrete post-graduation pathway that did not previously exist.
The school is small and deeply concentrated in need. Enrollment is a few hundred students across ten grade levels, with the largest cohorts in kindergarten and the middle grades. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black, with smaller Hispanic, white, and multiracial populations; fewer than a handful of students are Asian or Pacific Islander. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available.
State test results reveal significant academic challenges. In the 2024-25 school year, across grades three through eight, fewer than four percent of students achieved proficiency in mathematics, and just over eight percent met proficiency in English language arts. Science results are stronger: on the 2023-24 assessment, roughly one-third of tested students in grades three through eight reached proficiency. When measured against all school districts in Delaware County, Edgmont's overall proficiency index falls in the bottom quartile. The school has no graduation rate because it does not serve high school grades.
Chester itself is a city of substantial hardship. Once a major manufacturing and shipbuilding center through the mid-twentieth century, it has lost most of its industrial base and has struggled with poverty and disinvestment for decades. The city declared bankruptcy in 2022. Most residents rent rather than own. Housing costs relative to local income are modest compared to state and national medians, but that reflects the area's economic position rather than affordability in an absolute sense. Median household income in the nation is substantially higher than in Chester's zip code. The waterfront has seen some recent investment, including the soccer stadium and riverwalk, but the historic downtown remains largely abandoned. Widener University serves as the city's largest employer and anchor institution.
The broader Chester-Upland School District remains under state-appointed receivership, a status it has held since an earlier decade and continues to hold as of 2025. This means that major district decisions—budgeting, hiring, school configurations, charter relationships—are made by a court-appointed receiver rather than an elected school board. The receiver rejected charter operator takeover bids in 2021 and has publicly ruled out charterization going forward, so families enrolling today can expect a traditional public school district structure. The district has received substantial federal aid and state support directed to Pennsylvania's poorest districts, which the receiver has used to fund building upgrades rather than charter conversion.
For families considering Edgmont, the immediate academic picture shows proficiency well below county averages in reading and math, with stronger science performance. The school sits in a city and district facing deep economic and fiscal strain. The attached Widener scholarship is a genuine asset for students who complete the district's path to high school. A parent may want to look into further what academic supports and interventions the school offers, and what the district's longer-term plans are for improving core instruction, given the test results.
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