Highland Park Elementary School

Summary:

Highland Park Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, serving grades 1-5 with a student population of 701. The school is part of the Upper Darby School District, which is ranked 524 out of 610 school districts in Pennsylvania and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Highland Park Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom 25% of Pennsylvania elementary schools, with low academic performance on PSSA tests, particularly for certain student subgroups like Asian and Hispanic students. The school has an extremely high percentage of students (over 99%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage. While the school has a relatively high per-student spending level, its student-teacher ratio has been relatively high, suggesting that simply increasing funding or reducing class sizes may not be enough to address the school's performance issues.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Upper Darby School District also perform poorly on academic measures, with similarly low proficiency rates and rankings. In contrast, schools in the neighboring Haverford Township and Lower Merion school districts consistently rank among the top 5% of Pennsylvania elementary schools and have much higher academic achievement levels. This suggests that the challenges faced by Highland Park Elementary School are not unique to the school itself, but are likely systemic issues within the broader Upper Darby School District.


Detail:

Public 1-5

 8301 West Chester Pike
       Upper Darby, PA  19082-1399


(610) 853-4530

District: Upper Darby School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
1220th of 1,526 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $14,190 Help


Students who attend Highland Park Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Drexel Hill Middle School
High:    Upper Darby Senior High School

Student/teacher ratio:  14.5 Help
Number of students:  701

Racial breakdown:

African American:
31.8%
Asian:
27.8%
Hispanic:
27.0%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  100% Help


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Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Highland Park Elementary School ranks worse than 79.9% of elementary schools in Pennsylvania. It also ranks 4th among 8 ranked elementary schools in the Upper Darby School District. (See more...)
Help
Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 19.97. (See more...)
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Highland Park Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Upper Darby School District. Student population at Highland Park Elementary School is diverse. Racial makeup is: African American (31.8%), Asian (27.8%), Hispanic (27%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Upper Darby School District. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Highland Park Elementary School is 14.5. 5 elementary schools in the Upper Darby School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Highland Park Elementary School employs 48 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at Highland Park Elementary School is $14,190. 6 elementary schools in the Upper Darby School District spend more per student.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Highland Park Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Highland Park Elementary School 1220th of 1526 Pennsylvania public elementary schools. (See Highland Park Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
Asian students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:


Upper Darby School District:

SchoolDigger ranks Upper Darby School District 524th of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Highland Park Elementary School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 24.99 1046th 1302 19.7%
2004 27.79 1028th 1308 21.4%
2005 46.15 872nd 1299 32.9%
2006 27.28 1279th 1545 17.2%
2007 28.90 1282nd 1555 17.6%
2008 39.93 1144th 1551 26.2%
2009 33.96 1235th 1549 20.3%
2010 43.07 1135th 1579 28.1%
2011 41.25 1189th 1597 25.5%
2012 32.99 1266th 1599 20.8%
2013 31.26 1195th 1519 21.3%
2014 25.64 1194th 1467 18.6%
2015 38.27 1023rd 1474 30.6%
2016 41.07 1058th 1554 31.9%
2017 28.81 1174th 1547 24.1%
2018 26.66 1185th 1530 22.5%
2019 22.76 1226th 1544 20.6%
2021 26.81 1095th 1433 23.6%
2022 25.70 1155th 1534 24.7%
2023 28.25 1140th 1534 25.7%
2024 19.97 1220th 1526 20.1%
See the entire list of Pennsylvania Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 39.82 104th 196 46.9%
2024 31.35 148th 200 26.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 43.45 886th 1414 37.3%
2024 27.21 1101st 1432 23.1%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 18.48 1213th 1488 18.5%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 33.08 710th 1043 31.9%
2024 20.31 902nd 1084 16.8%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 22.13 1168th 1495 21.9%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 9.99 148th 160 7.5%
2024 11.57 158th 168 6.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 73.30 77th 437 82.4%
2024 63.45 108th 437 75.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 31.28 312th 432 27.8%
2024 15.06 415th 454 8.6%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Highland Park Elementary School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Elementary Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 23.13 1042nd 1236 15.7%
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.

Highland Park Elementary School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 






Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

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Enrollment information for Highland Park Elementary School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 667 14 110 1 0 n/a n/a 0 792
1989 517 23 97 1 2 n/a n/a 0 640
1990 595 18 69 2 0 n/a n/a 0 684
1991 631 18 78 4 2 n/a n/a 0 733
1992 655 21 89 2 0 n/a n/a 0 767
1993 642 31 99 1 0 n/a n/a 0 773
1994 701 26 73 2 0 n/a n/a 0 802
1995 626 43 73 4 0 n/a n/a 0 746
1996 626 43 73 4 0 n/a n/a 0 746
1997 614 39 72 2 0 n/a n/a 0 727
1998 577 53 70 4 0 n/a n/a 0 704
1999 548 88 84 9 0 n/a n/a 0 729
2000 502 80 103 7 0 n/a n/a 0 692
2001 478 156 137 15 0 n/a n/a 0 786
2002 399 209 141 22 1 n/a n/a 0 772
2003 399 209 141 22 1 n/a n/a 0 772
2004 321 252 147 25 1 n/a n/a 0 746
2005 273 278 176 30 1 n/a n/a 0 758
2006 247 321 146 25 1 n/a n/a 0 740
2007 212 318 129 30 1 n/a n/a 0 690
2008 208 292 151 47 0 n/a n/a 0 698
2009 176 264 135 44 1 n/a n/a 0 620
2010 148 277 130 50 1 n/a n/a 2 608
2011 140 284 144 52 0 0 4 0 624
2012 141 298 147 63 0 0 8 0 657
2013 112 304 158 71 0 0 6 0 651
2014 116 344 179 82 0 2 3 0 726
2015 106 350 178 87 1 1 6 0 729
2016 91 348 176 94 1 1 12 0 723
2017 83 384 185 101 1 1 20 0 775
2018 73 376 196 119 1 0 30 0 795
2019 77 346 195 138 1 0 33 0 790
2020 75 337 207 157 0 0 29 0 805
2021 70 292 196 158 1 0 35 0 752
2022 70 247 183 169 1 0 35 0 705
2023 61 223 195 189 1 0 32 0 701

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 Highland Park Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 792 41.0 19.3 n/a
1989 640 41.2 15.5 n/a
1990 684 37.1 18.4 0
1991 733 39.5 18.5 n/a
1992 767 39.8 19.2 n/a
1993 773 37.0 20.9 n/a
1994 802 37.0 21.7 n/a
1995 746 39.5 18.9 n/a
1996 746 39.5 18.9 n/a
1997 727 41.5 17.5 n/a
1998 704 36.0 19.6 n/a
1999 729 36.0 20.3 n/a
2000 692 36.0 19.2 29.9
2001 786 39.0 20.2 31.6
2002 772 44.3 17.4 38
2003 772 44.3 17.4 38
2004 746 46.3 16.1 36.3
2005 758 45.7 16.6 38.7
2006 740 43.8 16.9 48
2007 690 42.1 16.4 57.1
2008 698 49.6 14.1 52
2009 620 48.9 12.7 61.6
2010 608 44.8 13.5 60.7
2011 624 43.8 14.2 63.6
2012 657 46.2 14.1 63
2013 651 44.0 14.7 65.6
2014 726 43.9 16.5 73.3
2015 729 44.0 16.5 75.9
2016 723 45.0 16.0 78.3
2017 775 44.7 17.3 79.4
2018 795 45.7 17.3 77.5
2019 790 48.2 16.3 100
2020 805 48.2 16.6 100
2021 752 48.2 15.5 99.6
2022 705 50.0 14.0 99.6
2023 701 48.0 14.5 100

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 Highland Park Elementary School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 792 41.0 19.3 n/a
1989 640 41.2 15.5 n/a
1990 684 37.1 18.4 0
1991 733 39.5 18.5 n/a
1992 767 39.8 19.2 n/a
1993 773 37.0 20.9 n/a
1994 802 37.0 21.7 n/a
1995 746 39.5 18.9 n/a
1996 746 39.5 18.9 n/a
1997 727 41.5 17.5 n/a
1998 704 36.0 19.6 n/a
1999 729 36.0 20.3 n/a
2000 692 36.0 19.2 29.9
2001 786 39.0 20.2 31.6
2002 772 44.3 17.4 38
2003 772 44.3 17.4 38
2004 746 46.3 16.1 36.3
2005 758 45.7 16.6 38.7
2006 740 43.8 16.9 48
2007 690 42.1 16.4 57.1
2008 698 49.6 14.1 52
2009 620 48.9 12.7 61.6
2010 608 44.8 13.5 60.7
2011 624 43.8 14.2 63.6
2012 657 46.2 14.1 63
2013 651 44.0 14.7 65.6
2014 726 43.9 16.5 73.3
2015 729 44.0 16.5 75.9
2016 723 45.0 16.0 78.3
2017 775 44.7 17.3 79.4
2018 795 45.7 17.3 77.5
2019 790 48.2 16.3 100
2020 805 48.2 16.6 100
2021 752 48.2 15.5 99.6
2022 705 50.0 14.0 99.6
2023 701 48.0 14.5 100

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 Highland Park Elementary School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $974 (7.2%) $12,554 (92.8%) $13,527
2020 $1,092 (7.3%) $13,924 (92.7%) $15,016
2021 $2,729 (19.6%) $11,176 (80.4%) $13,905
2022 $2,507 (17.7%) $11,683 (82.3%) $14,190

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

Impact of COVID-19 on Highland Park Elementary 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 1226th of 1544 Elementary schoolsRanks 1140th of 1534 Elementary schools
 5.1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
3rd Grade Math (Highland Park Elementary School)34.535.4
 0.9%
   3rd Grade Math (Pennsylvania)5651.7
 4.3%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Highland Park Elementary School)48.740.3
 8.4%
   3rd Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)61.954
 7.9%
4th Grade Math (Highland Park Elementary School)26.532.1
 5.6%
   4th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)46.246.5
 0.3%
4th Grade Science (Highland Park Elementary School)62.959.5
 3.4%
   4th Grade Science (Pennsylvania)77.874.1
 3.7%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Highland Park Elementary School)48.839
 9.8%
   4th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)63.651.8
 11.8%
5th Grade Math (Highland Park Elementary School)24.726.2
 1.5%
   5th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)4342.7
 0.3%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Highland Park Elementary School)43.241.5
 1.7%
   5th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)58.553.6
 4.9%
All Grades Math (Highland Park Elementary School)28.531
 2.5%
   All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)42.439.3
 3.1%
All Grades Science (Highland Park Elementary School)62.959.5
 3.4%
   All Grades Science (Pennsylvania)6865.6
 2.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Highland Park Elementary School)4740.3
 6.7%
   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 Students790701
 11.3%
African American346223
 35.5%
American Indian11
Asian195195
Hispanic138189
 37%
Pacific Islander00
White7761
 20.8%
Two or More Races3332
 3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients100%100%


Schools Near Highland Park Elementary School









Frequently Asked Questions about Highland Park Elementary School

Students who attend Highland Park Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Drexel Hill Middle School
High : Upper Darby Senior High School

Students at Highland Park Elementary School are 32% African American, 28% Asian, 27% Hispanic, 9% White, 5% Two or more races.

In the 2022-23 school year, 701 students attended Highland Park Elementary School.

Highland Park Elementary School ranks in the bottom 20.1% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.


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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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