The top reported proficiency rate is 43% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Sharswood George Sch
Sharswood George serves grades pre-kindergarten through eighth in South Philadelphia and is a neighborhood public school with full enrollment. Every student qualifies for free and reduced-price lunch, a characteristic of many neighborhood schools in the district. The student body is diverse: about a third are White, a quarter are Hispanic, a fifth are Asian, and about a tenth are Black. The remaining students identify as two or more races or Native American.
On the most recent state assessment, about two in five students tested proficient or above in English language arts, while about one in five reached proficiency in mathematics. A science assessment from a year earlier showed proficiency slightly closer to the ELA rate. These results sit below the midline of performance across the district's schools. Reading proficiency in particular remains a challenge: the district recently adopted a new science-of-reading curriculum across all grades, and early results showed a slight dip in the first year, with roughly two-thirds of students still not reading at grade level by the end of 2024-25.
The school itself is small to mid-sized for its grade span, with enrollment distributed relatively evenly across the primary grades and somewhat heavier enrollment in the middle years. State testing data does not report individual scale scores or the exact participation rate, so a fuller picture of how the school measured performance would require a conversation with school or district leaders.
The school operates within Philadelphia City School District, which has undergone significant instructional change. The district adopted Illustrative Mathematics for K-12 starting in 2023-24 and a new ELA curriculum (EL Education for K-8) beginning in 2024-25. This means every classroom at Sharswood George uses these newer materials, which differ from what many families may recall from their own education. The district also closed and restructured schools in a large facilities plan that took effect in 2026-27, though Sharswood George itself was not among those closed.
South Philadelphia, where the school sits, is a dense neighborhood in an older part of the city. The ZIP code shows median home values roughly in line with the city average and slightly below the state benchmark, with rents also near average. The neighborhood is walkable and served by SEPTA transit. Philadelphia as a whole is experiencing growth concentrated in Center City; South Philadelphia's trajectory has been more stable. A parent considering this school would want to discuss with the principal what supports are in place for reading and mathematics proficiency, how the new curricula are being implemented in practice, and what additional services the school offers to students not yet at grade level. State testing data alone does not capture everything about a school's environment, peer group composition, or the quality of individual teachers and staff, all of which matter to family fit.
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