The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in Science. The lowest is 31% in English language arts.
Original Research by School Decision on Richmond Sch
Richmond School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in the Port Richmond neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia, a dense urban rowhouse area along the Delaware River corridor. The school enrolls a small student body with a substantial share of students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch. The student population is ethnically diverse, with a plurality of students identifying as Hispanic, alongside significant populations of White and Black students, and smaller numbers of Asian students and students of two or more races.
On state assessments in grades three through five, Richmond's results show room for growth. In English language arts and math, proficiency rates are well below state norms. In science, where data is available from an earlier year, the school's performance was somewhat higher, though still below typical benchmarks for the state. These results reflect the challenges many Philadelphia schools face in meeting grade-level standards, particularly in foundational reading and math skills. A parent considering Richmond may want to look into further detail with the school about its approach to reading instruction and math support, especially given the district's adoption of new science-of-reading materials across all schools beginning in 2024-25.
The school operates under Philadelphia City School District, which has undergone significant curriculum shifts in recent years. The district rolled out Illustrative Mathematics K-12 in 2023-24 and adopted a structured literacy approach to reading instruction (EL Education for elementary grades) in 2024-25. These changes represent the district's attempt to standardize instruction citywide, though the initial results have been mixed, with some teachers reporting a difficult transition and reading scores declining in the first year of implementation. Richmond students will be taught within this new instructional framework.
The district also faces major structural changes. In April 2026, the Board of Education approved a multi-billion-dollar facilities master plan that includes closing multiple schools and modernizing campuses over the coming decade. This plan will reshape school catchments across the city and consolidate programs. While Richmond is not listed among schools slated for closure, the broader reshuffling of district resources and school assignments will ripple across the system and may affect future enrollment or program offerings at individual schools.
Housing in the 19134 ZIP code is more affordable than the Philadelphia County median. The neighborhood remains working-class and predominantly residential, with strong neighborhood identity and walkable commercial corridors typical of Northeast Philadelphia. The broader Philadelphia housing market has seen moderate growth in recent years, concentrated heavily in Center City, though neighborhoods like Port Richmond have experienced more modest change. Property tax increases tied to the 2024 reassessment and the city's reallocation of more revenue to schools will affect household costs for families with children in the district.
Richmond is a standard public school with no magnet or charter designation, serving a neighborhood catchment. The school's small size and early-grades focus mean it does not produce graduation data or comprehensive course catalogs. For families in this neighborhood, Richmond represents the local district option for K-5 education within a school that reflects the demographics and economic conditions of Northeast Philadelphia.
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