The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in Science. The lowest is 8% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Conwell Russell Ms
Conwell Russell MS serves grades five through eight in the Kensington area of Philadelphia, north of Center City. It is a public school in the Philadelphia City School District.
The school enrolls a small population for its grade band, with an all-encompassing community of students who come from households at or near the federal poverty line; every student qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with meaningful Black enrollment, and smaller populations of white, Asian, and multiracial students, plus a small number of American Indian and Alaska Native students. Specific counts for students receiving special education services or classified as English learners were not reported in the available data.
State assessment results from the most recent testing show a sharp disparity across subjects. In mathematics, proficiency is minimal. In English language arts, about one-quarter of students met state proficiency standards. Science performance stands at a substantially stronger position, with about half of students proficient on the 2022-23 assessment, the most recent science data available.
The school sits in North Philadelphia, where the housing market is markedly below the state and national benchmarks. Home values in the surrounding ZIP code reflect a modest housing stock, and rental costs are comparatively low. This neighborhood is economically stressed but geographically accessible within the city's transit network via SEPTA.
The district is simultaneously implementing broad instructional changes. A new science-of-reading English language arts curriculum rolled out across all district schools in 2024-25, replacing prior materials; early results showed a one-point decline in reading scores after the first year. A new mathematics curriculum (Illustrative Mathematics) took effect in 2023-24. These changes reset how reading and math are taught across every Philadelphia classroom.
Beyond instructional change, the district approved a major facilities overhaul in April 2026, effective 2026-27, that will close seventeen schools, co-locate six, and modernize dozens of others over a decade. This reshapes school assignments and buildings across the city. Parents should confirm the school's status and any catchment changes relevant to their child as the plan unfolds.
A parent considering this school would want to look further into the reading and math instruction to understand how the new curricula are taking hold in this particular building, what targeted supports exist for students who are not yet proficient, and what the school's path forward looks like as the district reconfigures its facilities and programs.
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