Is The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy a good school?

The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy ranks in the bottom 9.5% of Pennsylvania alternative schools.

How many students attend The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy?

In the 2022-23 school year, 904 students attended The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy.

What is the racial makeup of The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy?

Students at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy are 63% African American, 19% Hispanic, 8% White, 5% Two or more races, 5% Asian.

The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Summary:

The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy is an alternative public school serving 904 students in grades K-12 in Philadelphia, PA, which is part of the Philadelphia City School District, ranked 494 out of 606 school districts in Pennsylvania with a 1-star rating.

The school faces significant challenges, with a student population that is 63.16% African American and only 8.08% white, compared to nearby charter schools that range from 29.65% to 97.54% African American. The school has struggled with low graduation rates, with only a 58.3% 4-year graduation rate in 2022-2023, much lower than the 89.0% to 100.0% rates of surrounding Mastery Cs-Hardy Williams, Esperanza Academy Charter School, and Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School. The school also has high dropout rates, ranging from 9.5% to 18.5% over the past 5 years, much higher than the 0.0% to 9.1% rates of the surrounding charter schools.

Academically, the school's performance is significantly lower than state and district averages, with only 5.6% of students proficient or better in PSSA Math in 2022-2023, compared to 39.3% statewide and 20.4% in the Philadelphia City School District. The school's high poverty rate, with 99.67% of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, and staffing challenges, with fluctuating student-to-teacher ratios, likely contribute to these poor academic outcomes, which have remained consistently low over the past 5 years.

Detail:

Public, Magnet, Alternative K-12

440 North Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19130

(215) 400-3110

District: Philadelphia City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1388^th of 1,534 Pennsylvania Alternative Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $9,975

Student/teacher ratio: 56.5

Number of students: 904

Racial breakdown:

African American:

63.2%

Hispanic:

19.1%

White:

8.1%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 99.7%

See top rated Pennsylvania elementary schools

Compare The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy to nearby alternative schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy ranks worse than 90.5% of elementary schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 8.44. (See more...)

Compare Details The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy ranks worse than 93.6% of middle schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 7.7. (See more...)

Compare Details The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy ranks worse than 83.4% of high schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2023 the calculated Average Standard Score was 18.21. (See more...)

The Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR) measures the percentage of The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy freshmen who graduate within four years, adjusting for students who transfer in or out.

The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.

Student Body

Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (63.2%), Hispanic (19.1%), White (8.1%). (See more...)

Compare Details 99.7% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy is 56.5. (See more...)

Compare The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy employs 16 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy is $9,975.

Schooldigger 2023 Rankings:

The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy:

SchoolDigger ranks The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy 1388^th of 1534 Pennsylvania public elementary schools. (See The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy in the ranking list.)

SchoolDigger ranks The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy 836^th of 893 Pennsylvania public middle schools. (See The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy in the ranking list.)

SchoolDigger ranks The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy 562^nd of 674 Pennsylvania public high schools. (See The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

African American students:

Hispanic students:

Philadelphia City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Philadelphia City School District 494^th of 606 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)

Average Rating:

Read all reviews and ratings detail for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy.

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Rank History for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	8.44	1388^th	1534	9.5%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania Alternative School Rankings!

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

Rank History for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

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Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Middle Schools	PA State Percentile
2015	4.68	811^th	835	2.9%
2016	16.86	697^th	870	19.9%
2017	5.61	824^th	877	6.0%
2018	5.48	820^th	861	4.8%
2019	14.06	733^rd	891	17.7%
2022	6.37	858^th	883	2.8%
2023	7.70	836^th	893	6.4%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania Alternative School Rankings!

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

Rank History for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

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Rank History for all high school students at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile
2015	3.96	625^th	680	8.1%
2016	2.90	625^th	677	7.7%
2017	0.64	656^th	663	1.1%
2018	2.58	633^rd	673	5.9%
2019	6.11	621^st	693	10.4%
2021	6.93	506^th	537	5.8%
2022	6.92	584^th	634	7.9%
2023	18.21	562^nd	674	16.6%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania Alternative School Rankings!

Rank History for high school African American students at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	22.37	207^th	260	20.4%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Alternative Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	42.14	142^nd	252	43.7%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Alternative Schools for Hispanic Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Department 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.

Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)

100%

Reviews:

by a student
Saturday, April 6, 2019

it’s a good school Close Quote

Enrollment information for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Total
2014	16	119	4	16	0	0	2	157
2015	30	259	5	51	0	0	5	350
2016	37	208	8	41	0	0	8	302
2017	70	291	9	72	2	0	22	466
2018	54	288	9	55	2	0	26	434
2019	74	350	9	76	3	0	25	537
2020	67	338	16	78	3	1	22	525
2021	74	413	24	90	3	1	25	630
2022	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2023	73	571	42	173	2	0	43	904

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 The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2014	157	n/a	n/a	62.4
2015	350	n/a	n/a	67.4
2016	302	1.0	302.0	100
2017	466	1.0	466.0	97.4
2018	434	1.0	434.0	n/a
2019	537	1.0	537.0	99.4
2020	525	5.0	105.0	n/a
2021	630	4.0	157.5	99.5
2022	0	9.0	0.0	n/a
2023	904	16.0	56.5	99.7

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 The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2014	157	n/a	n/a	62.4
2015	350	n/a	n/a	67.4
2016	302	1.0	302.0	100
2017	466	1.0	466.0	97.4
2018	434	1.0	434.0	n/a
2019	537	1.0	537.0	99.4
2020	525	5.0	105.0	n/a
2021	630	4.0	157.5	99.5
2022	0	9.0	0.0	n/a
2023	904	16.0	56.5	99.7

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 The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,309 (11.2%)	$10,354 (88.8%)	$11,662
2020	$2,076 (16.3%)	$10,641 (83.7%)	$12,717
2021	$3,155 (30.7%)	$7,121 (69.3%)	$10,276
2022	$4,474 (44.9%)	$5,502 (55.2%)	$9,975

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

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 733^rd of 891 Middle schools	Ranks 836^th of 893 Middle schools	11.3%
Ranks 621^st of 693 High schools	Ranks 562^nd of 674 High schools	6.2%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
8th Grade Math (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	0	0
8th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)	32.2	22.5	9.7%
8th Grade Science (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	35.7	13.3	22.4%
8th Grade Science (Pennsylvania)	58.2	51.1	7.1%
8th Grade English Language Arts (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	30.8	13.4	17.4%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	57.9	55.7	2.2%
11th Grade Algebra I (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	24	11.7	12.3%
11th Grade Algebra I (Pennsylvania)	63.3	34.1	29.2%
11th Grade Biology (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	13.6	25	11.4%
11th Grade Biology (Pennsylvania)	63.2	50.7	12.5%
11th Grade Literature (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	38.9	46.8	7.9%
11th Grade Literature (Pennsylvania)	71.5	65.3	6.2%
All Grades Math (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	0	5.6	5.6%
All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)	42.4	39.3	3.1%
All Grades Science (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	35.7	21.4	14.3%
All Grades Science (Pennsylvania)	68	65.6	2.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy)	27.3	18.7	8.6%
All Grades English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)	60.9	53.8	7.1%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	537	904	68.3%
African American	350	571	63.1%
American Indian	3	2	33.3%
Asian	9	42	366.7%
Hispanic	76	173	127.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	74	73	1.4%
Two or More Races	25	43	72%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	99.4%	99.7%	0.2%

Schools Near The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking ()				Ranking ()				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2023)	Keystone Exams Biology (2023)	Keystone Exams Literature (2023)	PSSA Math (2023)							PSSA Science (2023)			PSSA English Language Arts (2023)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2022)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	SchoolDigger Rating ()	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 3rd Grade	PSSA Math 4th Grade	PSSA Math 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA Science 4th Grade	PSSA Science 8th Grade	PSSA Science All Grades	PSSA English Language Arts 3rd Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 4th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 5th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 6th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 7th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts 8th Grade	PSSA English Language Arts All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy	Public, Magnet, Alternative	K-12	440 North Broad St	Philadelphia	19130	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-3110	904	16	56.5	99.7%	73 (8.1%)	571 (63.2%)	173 (19.1%)	42 (4.6%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (4.8%)								(n/a)	11.7	25.0	46.8			8.3	8.3	0.0		5.6			21.4			23.1	15.4	21.4		18.7	$9,975	$4,474	$5,502
Math Civics and Sciences Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	1-12	447 N Broad St	Philadelphia	19123	Philadelphia County	Math Civics and Sciences Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 923-4880	912	53	17.2		1 (0.1%)	877 (96.2%)	16 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	17 (1.9%)								(n/a)	14.8	11.3	40.6	4.7	0.0	1.3	2.9	1.9	2.9	2.2	20.0	27.4	23.6	16.1	9.3	14.1	31.2	40.4	38.3	24.0	$00	$00	$00
Universal Institute Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-9	800 S 15th Street	Philadelphia	19146	Philadelphia County	Universal Institute Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 732-7988	626	29	21.5	78.3%	5 (0.8%)	577 (92.2%)	35 (5.6%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (0.8%)								(n/a)				24.2	17.6	11.0	16.3	15.4	30.6	19.5	56.9	33.4	44.5	38.1	35.3	37.5	40.0	45.3	43.0	39.9	$23,101	$10,316	$12,785
Belmont Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	4030 Brown Street	Philadelphia	19104	Philadelphia County	Belmont Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 823-8208	926	98	9.4		0 (0.0%)	883 (95.4%)	29 (3.1%)	7 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (0.8%)								(n/a)	1.6	4.9	23.4	8.5	5.8	2.9	9.4	1.7	3.4	5.1	29.6	26.3	28.1	26.3	9.7	12.8	18.9	17.6	30.5	18.7	$21,586	$4,999	$16,587
Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2501 Kensington Avenue	Philadelphia	19124	Philadelphia County	Sankofa Freedom Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 288-2001	663	32	20.9	99.8%	1 (0.2%)	624 (94.1%)	23 (3.5%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.7%)								(n/a)	20.0	16.2	45.9	20.9	30.2	11.3	8.1	6.3	8.5	14.4	62.2	29.8	47.0	43.5	49.0	18.9	44.9	45.6	40.4	40.1	$21,312	$5,946	$15,366
Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	2600 S Broad Street	Philadelphia	19145	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 551-4000	2,721	166	16.3	61.9%	888 (32.6%)	887 (32.6%)	291 (10.7%)	422 (15.5%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.0%)	230 (8.5%)								(n/a)	16.9	34.6	63.6	54.0	51.7	42.8	18.4	25.9	30.0	36.9	77.5	50.5	64.9	58.8	59.5	59.5	46.4	58.7	59.2	56.8	$18,384	$3,346	$15,039
Mastery Charter School -Thomas Campus	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	927 Johnston St	Philadelphia	19148	Philadelphia County	Mastery CS-Thomas Campus	Yes	No	No	Yes	(267) 236-0036	1,258	87	14.4		133 (10.6%)	373 (29.7%)	432 (34.3%)	230 (18.3%)	39 (3.1%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (4.1%)								(n/a)	12.8	30.8	42.0	39.5	34.2	32.5	37.6	30.8	24.1	32.6	63.4	35.8	47.6	43.9	48.2	36.8	54.8	54.4	44.5	47.4	$18,232	$4,225	$14,007
Mastery Cs-Hardy Williams	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	5400 Warrington Street	Philadelphia	19143	Philadelphia County	Mastery CS-Hardy Williams	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 724-2343	1,215	69	17.5		2 (0.2%)	1,159 (95.4%)	32 (2.6%)	1 (0.1%)	10 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (0.9%)								(n/a)	12.0	32.5	48.2	12.9	10.7	7.2	8.2	8.6	25.9	12.3	42.1	42.2	42.1	30.9	21.0	16.9	26.1	37.2	51.7	31.3	$20,291	$4,160	$16,131
Esperanza Academy Charter School	Public, Charter, Alternative	K-12	301 W Hunting Park Avenue	Philadelphia	19140	Philadelphia County	Esperanza Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 457-3667	1,628	116	14.0	85.4%	5 (0.3%)	77 (4.7%)	1,524 (93.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (1.3%)								(n/a)	17.1	23.7	54.9		13.0	4.5	3.7	2.9	4.3	3.9	47.8	24.6	26.9		17.4	18.2	14.1	17.4	21.6	17.6	$18,548	$4,008	$14,540
Esperanza Cyber Charter School	Public, Virtual, Charter, Alternative	K-12	4261 N 5th Street	Philadelphia	19140	Philadelphia County	Esperanza Cyber Charter School	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	(215) 967-9703	990	80	12.3		18 (1.8%)	159 (16.1%)	789 (79.7%)	5 (0.5%)	2 (0.2%)	5 (0.5%)	12 (1.2%)								(n/a)	1.5	5.5	21.7	8.8	2.6	3.0	0.0	1.9	1.2	2.4	2.8	8.6	6.8	5.9	2.5	3.0	10.5	3.6	7.1	5.9	$12,718	$3,692	$9,026

The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy:

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Philadelphia City School District:

Average Rating:

What do you think?

Rank History for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Rank History for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Rank History for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Rank History for all high school students at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Rank History for high school African American students at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Rank History for high school Hispanic students at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Review counts

Enrollment information for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Student/Teacher Ratio The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Per Pupil Expenditures for The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Impact of COVID-19 on The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near The School District of Philadelphia Virtual Academy