Building 21

Summary:

Building 21 is a public high school in Philadelphia, PA, serving 388 students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Philadelphia City School District, which is ranked 494 out of 610 districts in Pennsylvania and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Unfortunately, Building 21 has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Pennsylvania high schools, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Building 21 significantly underperforms compared to the district and state on standardized tests, with only 2.6% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in Keystone Exams, compared to 25.7% for the district and 41.6% for the state. The school also struggles with higher dropout rates, ranging from 1.6% to 5.9% in recent years, compared to the district and state averages of around 1.6%. Additionally, Building 21 performs poorly across student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 10-20% of Pennsylvania high schools for female, male, African American, low socioeconomic status, and disabled students.

Interestingly, nearby schools such as Hill Freedman World Academy, Olney High School, and King Martin Luther High School generally outperform Building 21 on academic measures, graduation rates, and student subgroup performance, despite serving similar student populations. This suggests that factors beyond just socioeconomic status may be contributing to Building 21's struggles, which have remained consistently poor over the past several years with little to no improvement.

Detail:

Public 9-12

6501 Limekiln Pike
Philadelphia, PA 19138

(215) 400-7450

District: Philadelphia City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
665^th of 686 Pennsylvania High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $19,436

Student/teacher ratio: 19.2

Number of students: 388

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.6%

Hispanic:

8.0%

Two or more races:

2.8%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 100%

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Performance Trends

Compare Details Building 21 ranks worse than 96.9% of high schools in Pennsylvania. It also ranks 46^th among 54 ranked high schools in the Philadelphia City School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 3.03. (See more...)

The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at Building 21 who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.

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 (87.6%), Hispanic (8%), two or more races (2.8%). (See more...)

Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)

Teachers

Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Building 21 is 19.2. 46 high schools in the Philadelphia City School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)

Compare Building 21 employs 20.2 full-time teachers.

Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Building 21 is $19,436, which is the 19^th highest among 54 high schools in the Philadelphia City School District.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Building 21:

SchoolDigger ranks Building 21 665^th of 686 Pennsylvania public high schools. (See Building 21 in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Low Socio Economic Status students:

Female students:

Disabled students:

Male students:

African American students:

Philadelphia City School District:

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

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Rank History for Building 21

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Rank History for all students at Building 21

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile
2019	2.38	655^th	693	5.5%
2022	4.61	600^th	634	5.4%
2023	2.98	668^th	674	0.9%
2024	3.03	665^th	686	3.1%

See the entire list of Pennsylvania High School Rankings!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Building 21

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	4.32	643^rd	652	1.4%
2024	4.46	641^st	664	3.5%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Building 21

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	1.82	662^nd	665	0.5%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Building 21

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	12.74	498^th	502	0.8%
2024	15.68	476^th	513	7.2%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Building 21

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	5.05	622^nd	662	6.0%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Building 21

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked High Schools	PA State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2023	11.58	247^th	260	5.0%
2024	12.18	264^th	284	7.0%

See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for African American 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 Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Building 21

Compare

Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Two or More Races	Total
2015	5	91	0	36	0	5	137
2016	10	182	2	89	1	5	289
2017	5	225	2	109	1	9	351
2018	4	267	2	75	1	8	357
2019	3	276	1	46	0	8	334
2020	4	307	0	27	0	12	350
2021	4	352	2	29	0	10	397
2022	3	357	3	26	0	10	399
2023	2	340	4	31	0	11	388

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 Building 21

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	137	10.0	13.7	78.8
2016	289	8.0	36.1	100
2017	351	20.5	17.1	98
2018	357	12.8	27.8	99.4
2019	334	19.0	17.5	100
2020	350	19.0	18.3	100
2021	397	20.2	19.6	99.2
2022	399	18.9	21.0	99.2
2023	388	20.2	19.2	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 Building 21

Compare

Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
2015	137	10.0	13.7	78.8
2016	289	8.0	36.1	100
2017	351	20.5	17.1	98
2018	357	12.8	27.8	99.4
2019	334	19.0	17.5	100
2020	350	19.0	18.3	100
2021	397	20.2	19.6	99.2
2022	399	18.9	21.0	99.2
2023	388	20.2	19.2	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 Building 21

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,495 (10.5%)	$12,746 (89.5%)	$14,242
2020	$2,580 (16.9%)	$12,670 (83.1%)	$15,251
2021	$3,596 (23.7%)	$11,549 (76.3%)	$15,146
2022	$10,686 (55.0%)	$8,750 (45.0%)	$19,436

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Building 21

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 655^th of 693 High schools	Ranks 668^th of 674 High schools	4.6%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
11th Grade Algebra I (Building 21)	6.6	0	6.6%
11th Grade Algebra I (Pennsylvania)	63.3	34.1	29.2%
11th Grade Biology (Building 21)	0	0
11th Grade Biology (Pennsylvania)	63.2	50.7	12.5%
11th Grade Literature (Building 21)	33.3	19.7	13.6%
11th Grade Literature (Pennsylvania)	71.5	65.3	6.2%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	334	388	16.2%
African American	276	340	23.2%
American Indian	0	0
Asian	1	4	300%
Hispanic	46	31	32.6%
Pacific Islander	0	0
White	3	2	33.3%
Two or More Races	8	11	37.5%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	100%	100%

Schools Near Building 21

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2024)	Keystone Exams Biology (2024)	Keystone Exams Literature (2024)	PSSA Math (2024)				PSSA Science (2024)		PSSA English Language Arts (2024)				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 (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	PSSA Science 8th Grade	PSSA Science All Grades	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
Building 21	Public	9-12	6501 Limekiln Pike	Philadelphia	19138	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7450	388	20	19.2	100.0%	2 (0.5%)	340 (87.6%)	31 (8.0%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.8%)	3	665^th of 686 public high schools	3.1%		3	668^th of 674 public high schools	0.9%	3	2.6	2.6	25.0											$19,436	$10,686	$8,750
Imhotep Institute Charter High School	Public, Charter	9-12	6201 N. 21st Street	Philadelphia	19138	Philadelphia County	Imhotep Institute Charter High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 438-4140	597	29	20.5		0 (0.0%)	578 (96.8%)	7 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (1.8%)	2.5	670^th of 686 public high schools	2.3%		9.4	606^th of 674 public high schools	10.1%	64	2.3	1.5	21.5											$17,188	$5,247	$11,941
King Martin Luther High School	Public	9-12	6100 Stenton Ave	Philadelphia	19138	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3500	498	44	11.2	100.0%	3 (0.6%)	468 (94.0%)	19 (3.8%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.8%)	2.1	676^th of 686 public high schools	1.5%		2.9	669^th of 674 public high schools	0.7%	7	1.5	1.7	15.9											$20,995	$10,700	$10,295
Parkway Northwest	Public, Magnet	9-12	6200 Crittenden St.	Philadelphia	19138	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-3390	258	18	14.6	100.0%	2 (0.8%)	233 (90.3%)	8 (3.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.4%)	19.8	557^th of 686 public high schools	18.8%		16.5	568^th of 674 public high schools	15.7%	11	8.6	13.8	58.6											$20,615	$10,848	$9,767
Girls High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1400 W Olney Ave	Philadelphia	19141	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-3700	894	46	19.4	100.0%	43 (4.8%)	618 (69.1%)	93 (10.4%)	107 (12.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (3.7%)	56.1	332^nd of 686 public high schools	51.6%		44.7	425^th of 674 public high schools	36.9%	93	30.3	49.4	77.3											$15,995	$8,504	$7,491
Central High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1700 W Olney Ave	Philadelphia	19141	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-3590	2,364	116	20.3	100.0%	662 (28.0%)	517 (21.9%)	240 (10.2%)	836 (35.4%)	8 (0.3%)	2 (0.1%)	99 (4.2%)	98.1	4^th of 686 public high schools	99.4%		97.1	5^th of 674 public high schools	99.3%	1	89.4	88.4	98.4											$14,222	$7,333	$6,889
Hill Freedman World Academy	Public, Magnet	6-12	1100 E. Mt. Pleasant Ave.	Philadelphia	19150	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-3530	638	54	11.8	100.0%	17 (2.7%)	544 (85.3%)	30 (4.7%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.6%)	56.8	326^th of 686 public high schools	52.5%		40.6	454^th of 674 public high schools	32.6%	128	38.1	36.0	86.9	26.7	32.9	26.4	29.0	45.2	45.2	64.5	69.1	52.9	62.6	$18,845	$7,548	$11,297
Mastery Cs-Pickett Campus	Public, Charter	6-12	5700 Wayne Avenue	Philadelphia	19144	Philadelphia County	Mastery CS-Pickett Campus	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 866-9000	938	62	15.1		0 (0.0%)	879 (93.7%)	39 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (1.7%)	7.5	623^rd of 686 public high schools	9.2%		9	607^th of 674 public high schools	9.9%	16	6.9	7.9	38.8	4.0	8.1	15.8	9.3	29.6	29.6	22.0	30.9	33.6	29.1	$22,415	$5,415	$17,000
Cheltenham High School	Public	9-12	500 Rices Mill Rd	Wyncote	19095	Montgomery County	Cheltenham School District	No	No	No	No	(215) 517-3700	1,442	101	14.3	37.4%	369 (25.6%)	785 (54.4%)	133 (9.2%)	74 (5.1%)	3 (0.2%)	2 (0.1%)	76 (5.3%)	47.7	402^nd of 686 public high schools	41.4%		43.1	439^th of 674 public high schools	34.9%	37	30.5	46.2	64.8											$25,236	$716	$24,519
Olney High School	Public	9-12	100 W Duncannon Ave	Philadelphia	19120	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	(n/a)	No	(n/a)	(215) 400-4000	1,196	23	51.5	99.7%	13 (1.1%)	412 (34.4%)	661 (55.3%)	67 (5.6%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (3.5%)	4.7	644^th of 686 public high schools	6.1%		5.8	632^nd of 674 public high schools	6.2%	12	4.5	10.3	28.7

Frequently Asked Questions about Building 21

Is Building 21 a good school?

Building 21 ranks in the bottom 3.1% of Pennsylvania high schools.

What is the racial makeup of Building 21?

Students at Building 21 are 88% African American, 8% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Building 21?

In the 2022-23 school year, 388 students attended Building 21.

What district is Building 21 in?

Philadelphia City School District

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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.