The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in Science. The lowest is 9% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Welsh John Sch
Welsh John serves kindergarten through eighth grade in North Philadelphia, a dense, predominantly residential neighborhood with strong historic rowhouse character and commercial corridors. The school enrolls a small number of students, the vast majority of whom come from families qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a substantial Black population and very few white students or students of other races.
State test results from the 2024-25 school year show that proficiency in math and English language arts are both quite low. In math, fewer than one in ten tested students reached proficiency. In English language arts, the proportion of proficient students was roughly one in five. Science results, from 2022-23, were higher at about one in three students proficient, though that data is older. These outcomes reflect a pattern common to schools serving highly economically disadvantaged populations in Philadelphia; the district itself has been rolling out new curriculum in both mathematics and reading over the past two years, with early results mixed. A parent may want to look into further what supports the school is offering to address reading proficiency and what the school's own data shows about student progress toward grade-level skills.
Enrollment has remained stable at around this size for the grades served. The school sits in the Philadelphia City School District, which in April 2026 approved a major facilities modernization and consolidation plan that will reshape school catchments, close several schools beginning in the 2026-27 year, and modernize a large number of campuses across the city over the next decade. A parent with a child at Welsh John should confirm directly with the school and district whether any changes to the school's catchment, building, or programs are planned as part of this broader restructuring.
The North Philadelphia neighborhood where Welsh John is located is part of a city where growth has concentrated in Center City and certain other neighborhoods in recent years, while many inner-city residential areas have experienced slower investment. Housing values in the school's ZIP code are well below both state and national benchmarks, and rental costs are moderate relative to income, though the neighborhood does face challenges common to lower-income urban areas. The city's public transit system (SEPTA) provides bus and subway service throughout the neighborhood, and the Free Library of Philadelphia operates a network of branches throughout the city.
No data on special education enrollment, English learner enrollment, chronic absenteeism, or school discipline was available, so a parent cannot draw conclusions about those dimensions of the school environment from this profile alone. Questions about how the school identifies and supports students with learning differences, how it serves students learning English, and what the day-to-day culture and routines are would be worth asking the school directly.
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