The top reported proficiency rate is 55% in Science. The lowest is 12% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Rowen William Sch
Rowen William School serves kindergarten through fifth grade in Philadelphia's North Philadelphia neighborhood, serving a small cohort of about 300 students. The school is a regular public school, not a charter, and is part of the Philadelphia City School District.
The student body is predominantly Black, with all students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with very high economic need. Data on enrollment by specific grade show the school operates at modest capacity with roughly 40 to 70 students per grade level.
Academic performance presents a mixed picture. In English language arts, proficiency on state assessments is quite low, with roughly a quarter of students reaching proficient or above on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment in grades three through eight. Mathematics proficiency is notably lower still, with roughly one in eight students scoring at proficient or above. Science results from an earlier year showed a different pattern, with about half the students meeting proficiency—though state testing data was not available for the most recent school year for science. The school is therefore operating well below state averages in reading and mathematics, two areas where the district has made recent curriculum investments; a parent may want to look into whether the new reading and math materials adopted district-wide in the past couple of years are beginning to take hold or whether additional support might be needed.
The neighborhood around the school sits in North Philadelphia, within the broader context of a city experiencing moderate but uneven growth concentrated heavily in Center City and University City. The housing market in the 19126 ZIP code shows median home values modestly below the state benchmark and monthly rents that are affordable relative to median household income. The area is less than a 20-minute drive from Center City's employment hubs and institutions, though the specific neighborhood character and community assets of the immediate school area were not available in the data provided.
Data on staff, programming, attendance, discipline, and English learner populations were not available. The school's specific website and current offerings were also not located, so a parent interested in learning more about the school's daily operations, any specialized programs, or how the district's recent curriculum changes are being implemented would want to reach out directly to the school or district.
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