The top reported proficiency rate is 46% in Science. The lowest is 20% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Ardmore Avenue El Sch
Ardmore Avenue Elementary serves students in kindergarten through sixth grade in Lansdowne, a small historic borough about a short distance southwest of Philadelphia. The school sits in the William Penn School District, which spans six small municipalities in Delaware County: Lansdowne, East Lansdowne, Colwyn, Darby, Aldan, and Yeadon. That wider attendance zone means families choosing this school are part of a larger district story, including recent major changes in funding and operations that shape what the school can offer.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a substantial Asian, white, and Hispanic representation, and a very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is steady at around five hundred students across seven grades, with fairly even distribution from kindergarten through sixth grade. The data on English learners and special education enrollment was not available.
The school's academic performance, measured by Pennsylvania state assessments in grades three through six, shows results that sit below the midpoint among Delaware County districts. In English language arts, a modest share of students scored proficient or above. Math proficiency is notably lower. Science proficiency, tested only once in the available data from a couple years back, was higher. No trend data is available to show whether these metrics are moving or stable. Taken together, the proficiency profile reflects an elementary school where many students have not yet reached grade-level targets in foundational subjects, and a parent may want to look into further what supports are in place to help them catch up.
The broader William Penn district context matters significantly. The district was the lead plaintiff in a constitutional school-funding lawsuit decided in 2023, which has triggered a multi-billion-dollar statewide funding overhaul. William Penn is owed substantial new state money over a multi-year period, with increases arriving in recent and upcoming years. However, the district simultaneously faced a serious fiscal strain heading into 2025-26. The school board enacted its largest recent property tax increase while eliminating central office positions, removing mental health support staff, and cutting academic interventionists from elementary schools—meaning support services narrowed even as new money began to arrive. During the prolonged 2025-26 Pennsylvania state budget impasse, the district discontinued all non-athletic afterschool extracurriculars and warned that without released state funds it could sustain operations only into early 2026. State funding accounts for a substantial portion of the district's budget, making this a recurring structural risk.
On the curriculum side, Pennsylvania now requires all districts to adopt evidence-based (structured literacy) reading instruction and screen students in kindergarten through third grade for reading competency three times yearly. William Penn confirmed it will comply; this is a concrete, district-wide pedagogy change that will affect early literacy instruction at Ardmore Avenue starting with the 2027-28 school year.
Lansdowne itself is a walkable, tight-knit historic borough with Victorian and early twentieth-century architecture, strong civic life anchored by parks, a public library, and strong community traditions. The housing stock is moderately priced relative to national benchmarks and the state average, with a mix of single-family and semi-detached homes. The borough has been pursuing downtown revitalization, including the 2025 reopening of the historic Lansdowne Theater as a concert venue after decades of closure. The local economy is built on small businesses and professional services rather than a dominant single employer.
For a family with young children, Ardmore Avenue offers a small, neighborhood-based elementary school in a historic walkable community with emerging civic momentum. The trade-offs include modest proficiency results on state assessments, uncertain but real operational strains in the district, and the concurrent loss of some in-school support staff even as new state funding begins flowing in. Understanding those realities and the specific reading supports the school will offer as the state mandate takes effect is worth pursuing directly with the school and district.
See more original research from School Decision →