High Schools in Lancaster School District

The Lancaster School District in Pennsylvania is home to two high schools: McCaskey Campus and Phoenix Academy. While both schools serve predominantly economically disadvantaged student populations, their academic performance and school ratings show stark contrasts.

McCaskey Campus, the larger of the two with 2,642 students, is ranked 525 out of 681 Pennsylvania high schools and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Despite this, the school maintains a relatively high graduation rate of 87.9% and a low dropout rate of 1.4%. However, its test scores are generally below the state and district averages, with the highest proficiency rate in Literature at 50.5%. In contrast, Phoenix Academy, a smaller public magnet school with 290 students, is ranked 669 out of 681 Pennsylvania high schools and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger. Its test scores are extremely low, with 0% proficiency in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature.

Both schools have high percentages of free/reduced lunch recipients, with McCaskey Campus at 87.62% and Phoenix Academy at 93.79%. Additionally, the schools have similar graduation and dropout rates, suggesting that factors beyond just test scores may be contributing to these metrics. Despite the high spending per student, which is above the state average, the academic performance of both schools remains well below the state and district averages, raising questions about the equitable distribution of resources and opportunities within the Lancaster School District.