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Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School

Public Grades 9-12

665^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 2% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School is a public high school serving grades 9-12 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a student population of 769. The school is part of the Philadelphia City School District, which has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10% of Pennsylvania high schools over the past decade, with a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, ranking 257 out of 276 Pennsylvania high schools for African American students and 638 out of 651 for low socioeconomic status students in the 2024-2025 school year. With a four-year graduation rate of around 80% and a dropout rate ranging from 1.4% to 5.5% in recent years, the school's academic performance, as measured by Keystone Exam proficiency rates, is significantly below the state and district averages.

In contrast, the nearby High School of Engineering & Science, a magnet school, ranks in the top 20% of Pennsylvania high schools and has much higher proficiency rates on state assessments and a higher graduation rate. Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School has seen a steady increase in per-student spending, from $7,594 in 2019-2020 to $11,088 in 2022-2023, but this increased funding has not translated into improved academic outcomes. The school's high poverty levels, with over 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, likely contribute to the challenges it faces.

581

Students ?

13.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,496

Per pupil spending ?

132.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2150 West Lehigh Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19132-2648

(215) 400-7050

District: Philadelphia City School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

89.2%

Hispanic:

7.6%

Two or more races:

2.2%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 4th percentile in 2014 → 2nd in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (8% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (2nd percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Pennsylvania average (81% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school8%

District avg35%

Pennsylvania avg52%

665^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 2%▼ down 2 pts since 2015

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

50^th of 54High 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	2.3	665 of 681	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.3	673 of 686	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.4	662 of 674	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.8	598 of 634	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.1	677 of 693	2.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	1.2	655 of 673	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	1.0	649 of 663	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	1.2	653 of 677	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.8	648 of 680	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	1.0	557 of 580	4.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	3.1	552 of 591	6.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	9.3	604 of 664	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	16.7	583 of 660	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	19.5	573 of 649	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	10.3	582 of 632	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	6.1	585 of 621	5.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	7.5	576 of 615	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	2.5	584 of 604	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	2.0	567 of 593	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	0.6	583 of 590	1.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	0.9	571 of 583	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	257 of 276	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	9.7	272 of 284	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	11.4	248 of 260	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	13.6	502 of 524	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	13.3	496 of 513	3.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	15.3	471 of 502	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	2.4	643 of 657	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.1	656 of 665	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	24.0	209 of 274	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.0	227 of 252	9.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	3.4	638 of 651	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.0	655 of 664	1.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	4.4	641 of 652	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	2.4	649 of 660	1.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	2.6	649 of 662	2.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)

Hispanic (2024)24th percentile+22 vs school

African American (2025)7th percentile+5 vs school

Disabled (2025)4th percentile~ school

Female (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)2nd percentile~ school

Male (2025)2nd percentile~ school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature13%-49 vs state

Biology7%-42 vs state

Algebra I4%-41 vs state

4.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Wednesday, July 20, 2011

I had a lot of family that went to dobbins and got some positive reports about dobbins from different friends and family. my daughter is going there and they have a alsome success rate. Close Quote

Schools Near Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				Keystone Exams Algebra I (2025)	Keystone Exams Biology (2025)	Keystone Exams Literature (2025)	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	Keystone Exams Algebra I 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Biology 11th Grade	Keystone Exams Literature 11th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	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
Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School	Public	9-12	2150 West Lehigh Avenue	Philadelphia	19132	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7050	581	42	13.7	132.4%	5 (0.9%)	518 (89.2%)	44 (7.6%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (2.2%)	2.3	665^th of 681 public high schools	2.3%		2.3	673^rd of 686 public high schools	1.9%	8	3.7	6.8	12.9							$11,496	$5,004	$6,491
YouthBuild Phila Charter School	Public, Charter	12	2309 N Broad St	Philadelphia	19132	Philadelphia County	Youth Build Phila Charter School	Yes	No	No	No	(215) 627-8671	271	12	22.5	94.5%	6 (2.2%)	236 (87.1%)	16 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (4.8%)								(n/a)										$34,189	$11,613	$22,576
Technical Freire Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	2221 North Broad Street	Philadelphia	19132	Philadelphia County	Technical Freire Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(267) 507-1111	541	33	16.3	90.8%	1 (0.2%)	498 (92.1%)	29 (5.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (2.2%)	23.3	537^th of 681 public high schools	21.1%		17.1	570^th of 686 public high schools	16.9%	33	16.3	17.4	59.8							$24,291	$7,118	$17,172
High School of Engineering & Science	Public, Magnet	7-12	1600 W Norris St	Philadelphia	19121	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-7380	851	31	27.8	99.1%	69 (8.1%)	477 (56.1%)	116 (13.6%)	141 (16.6%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	46 (5.4%)	84.9	81^st of 681 public high schools	88.1%		78.4	125^th of 686 public high schools	81.8%	44	59.1	64.7	88.2	77.5	65.9	70.6	93.6	88.6	90.7	$18,455	$6,901	$11,555
Philadelphia Military Academy at Elverson	Public, Magnet	9-12	2118-2160 N 13th Street	Philadelphia	19122	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-7420	273	20	13.3	116.1%	7 (2.6%)	178 (65.2%)	69 (25.3%)	3 (1.1%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.5%)	3.4	653^rd of 681 public high schools	4.1%		5.9	631^st of 686 public high schools	8.0%	22	3.6	7.3	25.9							$21,483	$8,070	$13,413
Strawberry Mansion High School	Public	9-12	3133 Ridge Ave	Philadelphia	19132	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7500	309	28	10.9	79.3%	3 (1.0%)	281 (90.9%)	13 (4.2%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	8 (2.6%)	2.6	660^th of 681 public high schools	3.1%		1.8	680^th of 686 public high schools	0.9%	20	0.0	12.9	6.5							$20,304	$5,341	$14,963
Randolph A. Philip Area Vocational-Technical High School	Public	9-12	3101 Henry Avenue	Philadelphia	19129	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3840	437	29	15.2	99.8%	9 (2.1%)	358 (81.9%)	50 (11.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (4.3%)	7.7	608^th of 681 public high schools	10.7%		7.2	625^th of 686 public high schools	8.9%	17	10.2	9.3	37.8							$13,825	$5,938	$7,887
Vaux HS: A Big Picture School	Public	9-12	2300 W Master St	Philadelphia	19121	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(267) 687-1172	284	14	20.9	98.9%	2 (0.7%)	250 (88.0%)	16 (5.6%)	2 (0.7%)	2 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (4.2%)	3.6	650^th of 681 public high schools	4.6%		2.7	668^th of 686 public high schools	2.6%	18	6.5	6.7	25.0							$24,168	$7,646	$16,523
The U School: Innovative Lab	Public	9-12	2000 N 7th St	Philadelphia	19122	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7450	195	14	14.3	104.1%	2 (1.0%)	152 (77.9%)	32 (16.4%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.1%)	1.4	678^th of 681 public high schools	0.4%		9	608^th of 686 public high schools	11.4%	70	0.0	0.0	10.0							$27,084	$7,288	$19,795
Multicultural Academy Charter School	Public, Charter	9-12	3821 N. Broad St.	Philadelphia	19140	Philadelphia County	Multicultural Academy Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 227-0513	254	17	14.6	96.1%	2 (0.8%)	220 (86.6%)	18 (7.1%)	2 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	11 (4.3%)	37.7	468^th of 681 public high schools	31.3%		36.9	478^th of 686 public high schools	30.3%	10	29.8	40.5	57.4							$17,433	$1,322	$16,111

Frequently Asked Questions about Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School

Is Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School a good school?

Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School ranks in the bottom 2.3% of Pennsylvania high schools.

What district is Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School in?

Philadelphia City School District

How many students attend Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 581 students attended Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School.

What is the racial makeup of Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School?

Students at Dobbins Area Vocational-Technical High School are 89% African American, 8% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races.

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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.