The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in Science. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Forrest Edwin Sch
Forrest Edwin School serves early elementary students in Northeast Philadelphia, in the Cottman Avenue corridor, a predominantly residential area. The school enrolls a small student body across grades pre-K through five and operates as a regular public school within the Philadelphia City School District.
The student population is heavily concentrated among Hispanic and Black students, with a smaller Asian presence and a small number of white and multiracial students. All enrolled students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting deep economic need across the catchment. The school does not have a specialized mission or alternative design; it is a neighborhood elementary school. Data on special education enrollment and English learner populations were not available.
State assessment results from the most recent years show proficiency rates well below the state midpoint across tested subjects. In math for grades three through five, the most recent results placed roughly one in seven students at proficiency. English language arts results were higher at roughly one in five students, though still low. Science results from an earlier year showed proficiency closer to two in five students. These patterns hold across the grade span the school serves. The gap between math and reading proficiency, and between both and science, is notable; a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand where support is concentrated or where instructional focus is strongest.
The school sits within a larger district and city context that is reshaping itself significantly. The Philadelphia School District has adopted new, standardized reading and mathematics curricula across all schools starting in 2024-25, aiming for the first time in years to create consistency in how students learn to read and how core math is taught. The city has also increased its property tax allocation to schools and completed a reassessment that is funding school operations differently going forward. Most relevant to this catchment: the district board approved a major facilities consolidation plan in April 2026 that will close seventeen schools beginning in 2026-27, modernize many others, and reconfigure attendance boundaries. Families considering this school should understand that catchment assignments and building conditions are likely to shift in the coming years as the district implements this multiyear capital plan.
Housing in the zip code around Forrest Edwin is modestly valued compared to the state and national average, with median rents in the moderate range. The Northeast Philadelphia neighborhoods that comprise much of this school's catchment area are historically working-class rowhouse districts, less affected by the downtown office-to-residential conversion boom that has reshaped Center City in recent years.
No graduation rate applies to this school because it serves only early elementary grades. No specialized academic programs, magnet designation, or alternative curriculum was listed. The school is a traditional neighborhood elementary. How it functions day-to-day depends heavily on how the new district reading and math curricula are being implemented in each classroom and on the stability of the building and teaching staff as the district executes its facility plan. For families in the immediate catchment, direct conversation with school leadership about both curriculum execution and the timeline for any potential changes to the building or its programs is advisable.
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