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Lowell James R School

Q: Is Lowell James R School a good school?

Lowell James R School ranks in the bottom 12.7% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Lowell James R School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 503 students attended Lowell James R School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Lowell James R School?

Students at Lowell James R School are 61% African American, 23% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 1% White.

Q: What schools do graduates of Lowell James R School attend?

Students who attend Lowell James R School usually go on to attend: Middle : Washington Grover Junior School High : Fels Samuel High School

Public Grades PK, KG-4

1319^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 13% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

Lowell James R School is an elementary school in the Philadelphia City School District, serving 522 students in grades PK-4. The school has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Lowell James R School has faced significant challenges in serving its predominantly low-income student population, as evidenced by its consistently low academic performance, especially in Math and English Language Arts (ELA), and its declining ranking over time compared to other Pennsylvania elementary schools.

Academically, Lowell James R School underperforms compared to the Philadelphia City School District and the state of Pennsylvania on PSSA assessments. In 2024-2025, only 23.2% of students were proficient or better in Math, compared to 41.7% statewide, and 23.5% were proficient or better in ELA, compared to 48.5% statewide. The school also struggles to effectively serve certain student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 20% of Pennsylvania elementary schools for male students and Asian students in Math, but performing better for African American and Hispanic students.

Interestingly, the nearby schools in the Philadelphia City School District, such as Finletter Thomas K School, Howe Julia Ward School, and Morrison Andrew J School, perform similarly to Lowell James R School on academic metrics, ranking in the bottom 10-15% of Pennsylvania elementary schools. This suggests systemic challenges within the district that impact the performance of schools in this area. However, Lowell James R School performs relatively well for its English Language Learner (ELL) students, ranking in the top 40% of Pennsylvania elementary schools in 2024-2025, indicating the school may have some effective strategies in place to support this population.

503

Students ?

15.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,917

Per pupil spending ?

103.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

450 W Nedro Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19120-1871

(215) 400-3740

District: Philadelphia City School District

Students who attend Lowell James R School usually attend:

Middle:	Washington Grover Junior School
High:	Fels Samuel High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

61.4%

Hispanic:

22.7%

Asian:

8.7%

See top rated Pennsylvania elementary schools

Compare Lowell James R School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 11th percentile in 2015 → 13th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (23% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (13th percentile)

!English Language Arts scores 25 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg29%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,319^th of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 13%▲ up 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

77^th of 148Elementary Schools in the Philadelphia City School District

473^rd of 606Philadelphia City School District among Pennsylvania districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	12.0	1319 of 1511	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.1	1374 of 1526	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	6.9	1426 of 1534	7.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	6.8	1424 of 1534	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	6.7	1312 of 1433	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	6.4	1418 of 1544	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	6.4	1414 of 1530	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	5.8	1437 of 1547	7.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	7.1	1421 of 1554	8.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	8.8	1319 of 1474	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	5.0	1357 of 1467	7.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	5.5	1408 of 1519	7.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	5.2	1513 of 1599	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.6	1580 of 1597	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	2.1	1555 of 1579	1.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	4.1	1501 of 1549	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.1	1508 of 1551	2.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	5.9	1474 of 1555	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.0	1474 of 1545	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	27.8	314 of 413	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.7	273 of 437	37.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	36.3	268 of 437	38.7%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2023	0.5	160 of 160	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	7.2	1082 of 1084	0.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.7	1001 of 1043	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	51.4	78 of 207	62.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	54.3	79 of 200	60.5%	★★★☆☆
2023	23.1	173 of 196	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	17.1	1216 of 1466	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	9.5	1334 of 1488	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	38.6	253 of 429	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	28.4	338 of 454	25.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.8	418 of 432	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	19.8	1147 of 1369	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.2	1229 of 1432	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	12.8	1263 of 1414	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	8.9	1353 of 1475	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	1349 of 1495	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2025)62nd percentile+50 vs school

Hispanic (2025)41st percentile+28 vs school

African American (2025)24th percentile+11 vs school

Female (2025)17th percentile+4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)16th percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)8th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2024)<1st percentile-10 vs school

Asian (2023)<1st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts23%-25 vs state

Math23%-18 vs state

★

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Schools Near Lowell James R School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				PSSA Math (2025)							PSSA English Language Arts (2025)							Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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 (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	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 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
Lowell James R School	Public	PK, KG-4	450 W Nedro Ave	Philadelphia	19120	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3740	503	33	15.1	103.8%	6 (1.2%)	309 (61.4%)	114 (22.7%)	44 (8.7%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (5.4%)	12	1319^th of 1511 public elementary schools	12.7%		9.1	1374^th of 1526 public elementary schools	10.0%	55	25.3	21.1					23.2	23.1	23.6					23.5	$18,917	$6,286	$12,632
Eugenio Maria DE Hostos Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	6310 N 2nd Street	Philadelphia	19120	Philadelphia County	Eugenio Maria De Hostos Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 268-3102	631	54	11.6	66.9%	7 (1.1%)	52 (8.2%)	554 (87.8%)	8 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	9 (1.4%)	28.6	1099^th of 1511 public elementary schools	27.3%		30.3	1105^th of 1526 public elementary schools	27.6%	6	26.7	35.1	31.0	22.0	18.6	20.0	27.1	42.2	33.8	33.8	31.7	27.9	37.7	34.4	$24,632	$6,180	$18,452
Finletter Thomas K School	Public	PK, KG-8	6101 N Front St	Philadelphia	19120	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3750	607	50	12.2	104.1%	5 (0.8%)	416 (68.5%)	122 (20.1%)	40 (6.6%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (3.6%)	16.5	1255^th of 1511 public elementary schools	16.9%		7.2	1411^th of 1526 public elementary schools	7.5%	156	25.0	34.7	16.2	9.2	7.4	13.6	16.3	30.0	22.4	24.2	27.2	13.3	34.5	24.8	$18,850	$5,873	$12,976
Howe Julia Ward School	Public	K-5	5800 N 13th St	Philadelphia	19141	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3650	229	23	9.7	91.7%	1 (0.4%)	181 (79.0%)	34 (14.8%)	2 (0.9%)	1 (0.4%)	2 (0.9%)	8 (3.5%)	9.4	1367^th of 1511 public elementary schools	9.5%		9.6	1368^th of 1526 public elementary schools	10.4%	1	10.5	12.5	29.0				16.5	13.2	17.5	12.9				14.7	$23,884	$6,629	$17,255
Morrison Andrew J School	Public	K-8	5100 N 3rd St	Philadelphia	19120	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3780	508	36	14.2	102.8%	6 (1.2%)	245 (48.2%)	227 (44.7%)	19 (3.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	11 (2.2%)	10.8	1340^th of 1511 public elementary schools	11.3%		8.4	1385^th of 1526 public elementary schools	9.2%	45	12.5	10.9	14.5	10.6	1.9	6.9	9.4	14.9	8.7	27.3	25.5	14.9	18.6	18.6	$19,996	$7,226	$12,770
Marshall Thurgood	Public	PK, KG-8	5120 N 6th St	Philadelphia	19120	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3770	639	50	12.7	98.3%	1 (0.2%)	372 (58.2%)	227 (35.5%)	26 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	12 (1.9%)	8	1394^th of 1511 public elementary schools	7.7%		7	1419^th of 1526 public elementary schools	7.0%	25	17.0	13.3	9.3	2.3	3.2	4.8	7.8	17.6	24.2	17.0	13.7	13.8	31.2	19.8	$17,864	$6,096	$11,768
Olney Elementary School	Public	K-8	5301 N Water St	Philadelphia	19120	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3790	654	49	13.2	106.1%	4 (0.6%)	270 (41.3%)	300 (45.9%)	67 (10.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (1.5%)	16	1261^st of 1511 public elementary schools	16.5%		12.9	1315^th of 1526 public elementary schools	13.8%	54	27.6	22.7	8.9	12.5	3.3	13.6	14.7	26.4	20.3	23.2	39.1	29.0	31.8	28.2	$20,078	$6,431	$13,648
Lindley Academy Charter School at Birney	Public, Charter	K-8	900 West Lindley Avenue	Philadelphia	19141	Philadelphia County	Lindley Academy Charter School at Birney	Yes	No	No	Yes	(267) 669-1450	739	48	15.3	98.2%	7 (0.9%)	627 (84.8%)	52 (7.0%)	3 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.5%)	46 (6.2%)	6.2	1450^th of 1511 public elementary schools	4.0%		5.5	1451^st of 1526 public elementary schools	4.9%	1	12.3	4.5	2.8	1.3	2.6	0.0	4.1	18.8	10.3	11.4	22.4	15.8	23.5	17.1	$22,107	$2,021	$20,085
Ellwood School	Public	PK, KG-5	6701 N 13th St	Philadelphia	19126	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3540	292	25	11.6	101.0%	1 (0.3%)	256 (87.7%)	20 (6.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.5%)	15.1	1273^rd of 1511 public elementary schools	15.8%		10.6	1350^th of 1526 public elementary schools	11.5%	77	32.3	16.2	20.0				22.1	22.6	18.9	26.0				22.8	$36,840	$23,115	$13,725
Pennell Joseph School	Public	PK, KG-5	1800 Nedro Ave	Philadelphia	19141	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3680	301	26	11.6	102.3%	1 (0.3%)	264 (87.7%)	16 (5.3%)	4 (1.3%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.7%)	15.9	1265^th of 1511 public elementary schools	16.3%		7.3	1409^th of 1526 public elementary schools	7.7%	144	30.4	11.1	13.1				16.1	39.1	33.3	15.8				28.3	$20,297	$5,440	$14,858

Frequently Asked Questions about Lowell James R School

Is Lowell James R School a good school?

Lowell James R School ranks in the bottom 12.7% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

What district is Lowell James R School in?

Philadelphia City School District

What is the racial makeup of Lowell James R School?

Students at Lowell James R School are 61% African American, 23% Hispanic, 9% Asian, 5% Two or more races, 1% White.

What schools do graduates of Lowell James R School attend?

Students who attend Lowell James R School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Washington Grover Junior School
High : Fels Samuel High School

How many students attend Lowell James R School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 503 students attended Lowell James R School.

Rate Lowell James R 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.