Universal Alcorn Charter School

Universal Alcorn Charter School is the sole elementary school serving grades K-8 in the Universal Alcorn Charter School District, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With a total enrollment of 461 students, the school faces significant academic and socioeconomic challenges, as evidenced by its consistently below-average performance on state assessments and its high percentage of students from low-income families.

The school's academic performance, as measured by PSSA test scores, is well below the state average across all grade levels and subject areas. In the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in Math ranged from just 4.1% in 8th grade to 22.9% in 4th grade, compared to the state average of 28.6% to 51.4%. Similarly, the school's English Language Arts proficiency rates ranged from 20.6% in 3rd grade to 46.2% in 7th grade, compared to the state average of 51.5% to 55.8%. The school's Science proficiency rates were also below the state average, ranging from 38.3% in 8th grade to 53% in 4th grade, compared to the state average of 54.5% to 77.1%.

Compounding the academic challenges, Universal Alcorn Charter School serves a predominantly disadvantaged population, with 99.78% of its students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. The school's high dropout rate of 1.6% for the 2022-2023 school year further highlights the need for targeted interventions and support to improve student outcomes. While the school's per-student spending of $16,689 is relatively high, the data suggests that these resources may not be effectively addressing the unique needs of the student population.