The top reported proficiency rate is 60% in Science. The lowest is 47% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy
Marian Anderson Neighborhood Academy is a small public school in Philadelphia serving kindergarten through eighth grade, located in the rowhouse-dense neighborhood near Catharine Street. It enrolls a student body that is roughly evenly split between Black and white students, with smaller Asian and multiracial populations. Every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating the school serves a low-income catchment.
On state testing for grades three through eight in 2024-25, the school's reading proficiency stood just above half of students, while math proficiency was notably lower at about four in ten. Science results are available only from two years earlier and were somewhat higher. These numbers place the school below the reading and math targets most districts aim for, though science shows more promise. Readers should understand that the school serves a demographics- and income-heavy population, where proficiency gaps relative to wealthier districts are common across Pennsylvania.
The school's enrollment is small for the grade span it covers. The distribution across grades nine through eight is fairly even, with kindergarten and second grade cohorts slightly larger and eighth grade notably smaller. This grade-to-grade pattern, while typical in urban schools with varying neighborhood housing turnover, may reflect families leaving the catchment or using school choice as students approach middle school.
Philadelphia's curriculum adoption in 2024-25 of a science-of-reading approach for English language arts (EL Education in K-8) directly affects instruction here. The district also rolled out Illustrative Mathematics the prior year. These changes standardize how every Philadelphia student learns to read and compute, though early reception from teachers has been mixed and the first year brought a slight dip in reading outcomes across the district.
The city itself offers abundant walkable street life, parks including Fairmount Park and its 63-park system, extensive public transit via SEPTA, and a strong library network anchoring neighborhood life. Philadelphia's housing market has seen moderate growth concentrated in greater Center City and among office-to-residential conversions downtown; in the school's immediate South Philadelphia zipcode, median home values are near the city average with rents rising modestly year over year. Property tax revenue to schools has been increased as of the 2025 budget, and a major 2026 facilities plan will reshape school catchments and close some buildings beginning in 2026-27, though this school was not listed among those targeted for closure.
A parent evaluating Marian Anderson should expect to see ongoing implementation of the new reading curriculum and would benefit from asking the school directly how it is supporting proficiency gains, particularly in math, as well as how it bridges the gap between early elementary and middle grades given the enrollment taper toward eighth grade.
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