Comly Watson School

Summary:

Comly Watson School is an elementary school in the Philadelphia City School District, serving 565 students in grades K-5. While the school has consistently been ranked in the bottom half of Pennsylvania elementary schools, it has shown some promising signs of improvement in recent years.

Comly Watson School outperforms the Philadelphia City School District average in PSSA test scores across all subjects and grade levels. In 2023-2024, 45.6% of Comly Watson students were proficient or better in PSSA Math, compared to 21.8% for the district. The school also performed well in PSSA Science, with 67.9% of students proficient or better, compared to 41.3% for the district. Additionally, Comly Watson's PSSA English Language Arts proficiency rate was 47.1%, higher than the district's 34.2%. However, the school's performance is a mixed bag, with strong results for certain student subgroups but weaker performance for others.

Comly Watson School has seen a steady increase in per-student spending, from $12,251 in 2018-2019 to $17,189 in 2021-2022, and a decrease in student-teacher ratio from 16.4 in 2022-2023 to 14.4 in 2020-2021, indicating more resources dedicated to smaller class sizes. The school's proximity to other schools in the Philadelphia City School District, such as Decatur Stephen School and Greenberg Joseph School, provides an opportunity for collaboration and sharing of best practices. Additionally, the performance of nearby schools in other districts, such as Pine Road Elementary in the Lower Moreland Township School District, suggests that there are high-performing schools in the region that Comly Watson could potentially learn from.


Detail:

Public K-5

 1001 Byberry Rd
       Philadelphia, PA  19116-2120


(215) 400-3010

District: Philadelphia City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
965th of 1,526 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $17,189 Help


Students who attend Comly Watson School usually attend:

Middle:    Baldi C C A Middle School
High:    Washington George High School

Student/teacher ratio:  16.4 Help
Number of students:  565

Racial breakdown:

White:
49.0%
Asian:
24.4%
Hispanic:
12.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  100% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Comly Watson School ranks worse than 63.2% of elementary schools in Pennsylvania. It also ranks 24th among 147 ranked elementary schools in the Philadelphia City School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 43.93. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Student population at Comly Watson School is diverse. Racial makeup is: White (49%), Asian (24.4%), Hispanic (12.7%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Comly Watson School is 16.4. 132 elementary schools in the Philadelphia City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Comly Watson School employs 34.4 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Comly Watson School is $17,189. 131 elementary schools in the Philadelphia City School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Comly Watson School:

SchoolDigger ranks Comly Watson School 965th of 1526 Pennsylvania public elementary schools. (See Comly Watson School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
Asian students:
White students:


Philadelphia City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Philadelphia City School District 494th of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Parent Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for Comly Watson School.

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Rank History for Comly Watson School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 30.29 1000th 1302 23.2%
2004 42.83 876th 1308 33.0%
2005 58.95 649th 1299 50.0%
2006 58.26 758th 1545 50.9%
2007 53.53 895th 1555 42.4%
2008 55.75 852nd 1551 45.1%
2009 59.28 765th 1549 50.6%
2010 46.91 1076th 1579 31.9%
2011 53.38 959th 1597 39.9%
2012 55.15 944th 1599 41.0%
2013 53.12 913th 1519 39.9%
2014 48.96 952nd 1467 35.1%
2015 53.26 839th 1474 43.1%
2016 55.74 848th 1554 45.4%
2017 51.34 910th 1547 41.2%
2018 61.28 695th 1530 54.6%
2019 64.01 635th 1544 58.9%
2021 50.59 800th 1433 44.2%
2022 52.24 855th 1534 44.3%
2023 51.61 848th 1534 44.7%
2024 43.93 965th 1526 36.8%
See the entire list of Pennsylvania Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 85.38 19th 196 90.3%
2024 78.95 22nd 200 89.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 69.39 389th 1414 72.5%
2024 56.17 669th 1432 53.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 40.52 974th 1488 34.5%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 46.03 904th 1495 39.5%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 11.03 146th 160 8.8%
2024 16.20 149th 168 11.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 99.44 5th 437 98.9%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 74.02 82nd 432 81.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Comly Watson School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 39.81 819th 1236 33.7%
2024 21.32 1053rd 1229 14.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Dept of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Comly Watson School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a parent
Sunday, March 13, 2016

Open Quote It has a great school education, and my kids are learning fast than any other school they've been to. Close Quote


by a citizen
Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Open Quote Great Staff Great School Close Quote



Enrollment information for Comly Watson School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 464 16 23 6 0 n/a n/a 0 509
1989 463 16 30 6 1 n/a n/a 0 516
1990 447 17 29 11 0 n/a n/a 0 504
1991 377 20 26 9 0 n/a n/a 0 432
1992 356 24 28 8 0 n/a n/a 0 416
1993 378 26 23 13 0 n/a n/a 0 440
1994 393 32 24 14 1 n/a n/a 0 464
1995 381 37 23 15 0 n/a n/a 0 456
1996 381 37 23 15 0 n/a n/a 0 456
1997 426 54 22 20 1 n/a n/a 0 523
1998 429 50 24 19 1 n/a n/a 0 523
1999 400 48 34 20 1 n/a n/a 0 503
2000 342 53 40 12 0 n/a n/a 0 447
2001 311 52 24 17 0 n/a n/a 0 404
2002 268 42 28 26 0 n/a n/a 0 364
2003 268 42 28 26 0 n/a n/a 0 364
2004 263 92 28 32 0 n/a n/a 0 415
2005 261 64 29 20 1 n/a n/a 0 375
2006 270 63 32 21 0 n/a n/a 0 386
2007 244 63 36 26 1 n/a n/a 0 370
2008 250 55 35 32 0 n/a n/a 1 373
2009 253 49 53 33 0 n/a n/a 0 388
2010 270 54 35 34 0 n/a n/a 11 404
2011 283 63 42 34 2 0 26 0 450
2012 285 63 46 38 1 0 33 0 466
2013 304 63 52 45 3 0 39 0 506
2014 272 59 57 43 4 0 55 0 490
2015 283 56 59 42 3 0 61 0 504
2016 263 65 53 40 3 0 58 0 482
2017 276 64 59 39 1 0 52 0 491
2018 296 54 54 35 1 0 51 0 491
2019 297 60 70 51 1 0 39 0 518
2020 300 60 78 52 2 0 24 0 516
2021 267 48 80 46 1 0 17 0 459
2022 247 66 100 57 1 0 17 0 488
2023 277 56 138 72 2 1 19 0 565

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Comly Watson School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 509 25.0 20.3 n/a
1989 516 27.0 19.1 n/a
1990 504 27.0 18.6 0
1991 432 24.0 18.0 n/a
1992 416 22.0 18.9 n/a
1993 440 22.5 19.6 n/a
1994 464 22.0 21.1 n/a
1995 456 22.0 20.7 n/a
1996 456 22.0 20.7 n/a
1997 523 25.5 20.5 n/a
1998 523 25.8 20.3 n/a
1999 503 26.8 18.8 n/a
2000 447 27.8 16.1 27.7
2001 404 23.0 17.6 24.5
2002 364 19.0 19.2 28.8
2003 364 19.0 19.2 28.8
2004 415 24.5 16.9 24.6
2005 375 25.5 14.7 28
2006 386 22.2 17.4 36.5
2007 370 23.4 15.8 41.6
2008 373 22.5 16.6 41.7
2009 388 23.4 16.6 38.7
2010 404 28.9 13.9 43.5
2011 450 30.4 14.7 36.2
2012 466 29.4 15.8 42.5
2013 506 19.9 25.3 52.8
2014 490 22.0 22.2 57.6
2015 504 20.0 25.2 49.6
2016 482 26.0 18.5 100
2017 491 30.7 15.9 100
2018 491 26.2 18.7 100
2019 518 29.4 17.5 100
2020 516 34.8 14.8 99.8
2021 459 31.7 14.4 99.3
2022 488 31.6 15.4 99.4
2023 565 34.4 16.4 100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Comly Watson School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 509 25.0 20.3 n/a
1989 516 27.0 19.1 n/a
1990 504 27.0 18.6 0
1991 432 24.0 18.0 n/a
1992 416 22.0 18.9 n/a
1993 440 22.5 19.6 n/a
1994 464 22.0 21.1 n/a
1995 456 22.0 20.7 n/a
1996 456 22.0 20.7 n/a
1997 523 25.5 20.5 n/a
1998 523 25.8 20.3 n/a
1999 503 26.8 18.8 n/a
2000 447 27.8 16.1 27.7
2001 404 23.0 17.6 24.5
2002 364 19.0 19.2 28.8
2003 364 19.0 19.2 28.8
2004 415 24.5 16.9 24.6
2005 375 25.5 14.7 28
2006 386 22.2 17.4 36.5
2007 370 23.4 15.8 41.6
2008 373 22.5 16.6 41.7
2009 388 23.4 16.6 38.7
2010 404 28.9 13.9 43.5
2011 450 30.4 14.7 36.2
2012 466 29.4 15.8 42.5
2013 506 19.9 25.3 52.8
2014 490 22.0 22.2 57.6
2015 504 20.0 25.2 49.6
2016 482 26.0 18.5 100
2017 491 30.7 15.9 100
2018 491 26.2 18.7 100
2019 518 29.4 17.5 100
2020 516 34.8 14.8 99.8
2021 459 31.7 14.4 99.3
2022 488 31.6 15.4 99.4
2023 565 34.4 16.4 100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Comly Watson School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,408 (11.5%) $10,842 (88.5%) $12,251
2020 $1,400 (10.0%) $12,601 (90.0%) $14,001
2021 $3,414 (22.6%) $11,675 (77.4%) $15,089
2022 $7,774 (45.2%) $9,416 (54.8%) $17,189

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Comly Watson School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 635th of 1544 Elementary schoolsRanks 848th of 1534 Elementary schools
 14.2%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Comly Watson School)72.351.1
 21.2%
   3rd Grade Math (Pennsylvania)5651.7
 4.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Comly Watson School)78.453.8
 24.6%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)61.954
 7.9%
4th Grade Math (Comly Watson School)50.648.2
 2.4%
   4th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)46.246.5
 0.3%
4th Grade Science (Comly Watson School)77.175.9
 1.2%
   4th Grade Science (Pennsylvania)77.874.1
 3.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Comly Watson School)69.548.1
 21.4%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)63.651.8
 11.8%
5th Grade Math (Comly Watson School)5042.3
 7.7%
   5th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)4342.7
 0.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Comly Watson School)64.150
 14.1%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)58.553.6
 4.9%
All Grades Math (Comly Watson School)57.147.3
 9.8%
   All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)42.439.3
 3.1%
All Grades Science (Comly Watson School)77.175.9
 1.2%
   All Grades Science (Pennsylvania)6865.6
 2.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Comly Watson School)70.650.6
 20%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)60.953.8
 7.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students518565
 9.1%
African American6056
 6.7%
American Indian12
 100%
Asian70138
 97.1%
Hispanic5172
 41.2%
Pacific Islander01
White297277
 6.7%
Two or More Races3919
 51.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients100%100%


Schools Near Comly Watson School









Frequently Asked Questions about Comly Watson School

Comly Watson School ranks 965th of 1526 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Comly Watson School are 49% White, 24% Asian, 13% Hispanic, 10% African American, 3% Two or more races.

In the 2022-23 school year, 565 students attended Comly Watson School.

Students who attend Comly Watson School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Baldi C C A Middle School
High : Washington George High School


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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