The top reported proficiency rate is 14% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Washington Grover Jr Sch
Washington Grover Jr. School serves grades five through eight in Philadelphia's Olney Avenue neighborhood, drawing a student population that is predominantly Black, with substantial Asian and Hispanic enrollment. Nearly all students qualify for free and reduced-price meals. The school is part of the Philadelphia City School District, which in 2024-25 is executing a major curriculum overhaul that has introduced new mathematics and English Language Arts materials in every classroom, including at Grover.
The academic picture here is challenging. On the most recent Pennsylvania System of School Assessment results, proficiency in mathematics fell to a very low level across the tested grades, with only a small handful of students in the school reaching proficient performance. English Language Arts proficiency, while higher, remains well below grade-level expectations, with roughly one in seven students demonstrating proficiency. Science proficiency data from an earlier assessment cycle showed a similar pattern. These results reflect broader struggles in the district; the district's new science-of-reading curriculum, which arrived in 2024-25 and is the instructional framework students here are now learning within, showed a one-point dip in reading scores across the district after its first year, though the district framed this as part of a transition to stronger long-term literacy practices.
A parent considering Washington Grover should understand that students arriving here are meeting instruction that has recently changed substantially. The district invested significantly in Illustrative Mathematics for K-12 and in EL Education and StudySync for reading, but these materials are new to teachers and systems across the city, and the early data suggests the transition period is proving difficult. The school's current enrollment is small for a middle school, with most grades represented but modest absolute numbers. All families here are navigating tight household finances; eligibility for federal meal support is universal.
The district is also in the midst of a major facilities reorganization approved in early 2026 that closes schools and redraws attendance boundaries beginning in 2026-27. A parent should confirm with the school or district whether Washington Grover's catchment or operations are affected by this plan.
What the data does not show are school-specific spending levels, staffing depth, the particular teaching quality or school culture at Grover itself, attendance patterns, discipline climate, or whether the school has special programs or pathways. The state testing results are the clearest academic snapshot available, but they reflect a school in the midst of curriculum change and operating within a district facing significant headwinds in reading and mathematics instruction across its schools. A parent may want to visit the school, speak with current families, and ask the school directly about how it is implementing the new curriculum materials and what supports it is providing to students who are working below grade level.
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