Original Research by School Decision on Haverford Shs
Haverford SHS is a public high school serving grades 9 through 12 in Havertown, a largely residential inner-ring suburb about nine miles west of Philadelphia. The school sits within the School District of Haverford Township, which covers Havertown, Ardmore, and Bryn Mawr and has just completed a major renovation and addition project at Haverford High School focused on expanding science labs, performing arts space, and athletic facilities to accommodate projected enrollment growth. The building project signals the district's confidence in maintaining enrollment and its willingness to invest in physical infrastructure where students will spend their day.
The student body numbers roughly two thousand across the four high school grades, with enrollment fairly even across each year. The peer composition is predominantly white, with Asian, Black, and Hispanic students each representing smaller but meaningful shares of the population. About one in five students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that while the community is generally affluent, there is economic diversity within the school.
Havertown itself is a mature suburb made up of several sub-neighborhoods (Llanerch, Brookline, Manoa, Penfield, and others) united under one postal name. Daily life centers on tree-lined residential streets of single-family homes, mixed with small commercial corridors along West Chester Pike, Eagle Road, Darby Road, and Haverford Road. The township maintains over thirty parks and playing fields, a public library, and an ice rink. Public transportation is notably strong: the SEPTA Norristown High Speed Line (the M) runs through the township with seven local stops, and multiple bus routes connect to regional transit. Kids in many neighborhoods can walk to school and shops. Housing values in the area have remained stable relative to the state and national benchmarks, though property taxes in the district have risen meaningfully in recent years, with millage rates climbing under the 2024-25 and 2025-26 budgets. For families considering a move to the Haverford area, property tax trajectory is a material calculation.
State assessment data for Haverford SHS was not available, so we cannot characterize how the school's tested performance compares to other schools in Delaware County or describe proficiency trends by subject. A graduation rate was also not reported in the available data. Without these metrics, a parent would benefit from requesting recent performance dashboards, course placement data, and outcome information directly from the district.
What we do know is that the district is in a period of sustained investment and change. Beyond the high school renovation, the district is undertaking major additions and renovations at two elementary schools financed through a general obligation bond. The district has also adopted Wit & Wisdom as its elementary literacy core program across K-5, a knowledge-building approach that reflects a deliberate curricular choice. Recent labor negotiations between the district and the Haverford Township Education Association concluded in a new four-year collective bargaining agreement, providing multi-year stability on teacher compensation after contentious negotiations that drew public attention.
The broader context matters: Havertown is a built-out suburban community with no intention, according to its draft comprehensive plan, to increase residential density. Growth is incremental—infill, small subdivisions, commercial reuse—rather than expansive. The township's population declined in past decades but has stabilized in recent years. For families, this means a mature, established community with stable schools and neighborhoods, constrained growth, and strong civic anchors in parks, transit, and libraries.
To assess fit, parents would want to gather the school's recent test results, graduation data, course offerings (particularly AP breadth and career/dual-credit pathways), and enrollment trends by grade and demographics. Direct conversation with school counselors about college placement, special education services, and student support structures would round out the picture. The high school's newly expanded science and arts facilities suggest the district is signaling confidence in the building and its future, which is worth noting as you weigh whether this is where your student will thrive.
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