The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in Science. The lowest is 15% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Morris Robert Sch
Morris Robert School serves grades kindergarten through eighth in the West Philadelphia neighborhood, part of the Philadelphia City School District. The school is small for its grade band, with roughly half of the typical enrollment one might expect across the K-8 span.
The student body is predominantly African American, with a substantial minority Hispanic population and a very small Asian, white, and multiracial presence. All students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic circumstances of the school's immediate catchment.
State testing data from the 2024-25 school year shows that proficiency rates in reading and mathematics are well below the state benchmark. In reading, a small fraction of students tested met grade-level standard, while in math, proficiency was even lower. The science data, drawn from an earlier year with a smaller tested population, showed moderate proficiency but is less recent. These results place Morris Robert among the lower-performing schools in the state assessment results and suggest that students in grades three through eight are reading and computing significantly below what the state considers grade-level standard. A parent might want to examine the school's specific efforts to address reading instruction, particularly as the district implemented a new science-of-reading curriculum districtwide starting in 2024-25, and to ask the school directly what support structures are in place for students who are not meeting benchmarks.
The school is part of the Philadelphia City School District, which has undergone substantial curriculum change in recent years. All district schools now use a standardized mathematics program (Illustrative Mathematics) and a new reading curriculum based on the science of reading (EL Education for elementary grades). These changes set the instructional approach across the building but are still in early implementation, and initial results have been mixed.
Philadelphia itself is a large, walkable city with strong neighborhood identity and anchored by major employers in healthcare, education, and life sciences. The broader West Philadelphia area contains significant institutional presence, including the University of Pennsylvania and related medical centers. Housing costs in the surrounding zip code are below the state and national benchmarks, reflecting both the urban setting and the economic profile of the neighborhood.
Enrollment and attendance data specific to this school were not available beyond the total student count. Information on special education identification, English learner population, discipline patterns, and staff credentials were not included in the data provided. The school's website was not accessible in the research, so details about specific programs, extracurricular offerings, or school-level initiatives beyond the district curriculum changes could not be verified.
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