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Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School

Public Grades 9-12

617^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 9% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School is a public high school in Philadelphia, PA, serving 499 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Philadelphia City School District, which is ranked 473 out of 606 districts in Pennsylvania and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Pennsylvania high schools over the past decade.

Academically, the school significantly underperforms compared to the district and state averages. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 7.6% of 11th-grade students were proficient or better in Algebra I, compared to 25.1% in the district and 44.3% statewide. Similarly, only 7.8% were proficient or better in Biology, compared to 31% in the district and 49.3% statewide. The school's performance in Literature is slightly better, with 36.5% of 11th-graders proficient or better, but still lags behind the district (49.1%) and state (62.1%). The school's graduation and dropout rates have also fluctuated, generally lower than the district and state averages.

Interestingly, the nearby Mastbaum Jules E Area Vocational-Technical School, Kensington Health Sciences, and Kensington High School also perform poorly on standardized tests and have similar demographic and socioeconomic profiles to Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School, suggesting systemic issues within the district. In contrast, the High School of Engineering & Science, a public magnet school in the district, significantly outperforms Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School and the district as a whole on academic measures.

510

Students ?

16.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$21,887

Per pupil spending ?

97.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1901 N. Front St
Philadelphia, PA 19122

(215) 400-7400

District: Philadelphia City School District

Feeder schools for Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School:

Elementary:	Brown Henry A School
	Hartranft John F School
	Hunter William High School
	McKinley William School
	More...
	Richmond School
	Sheridan School
	Webster School
	Welsh John School
	Willard Frances E School
Middle:	Memphis Street Academy Charter School @ JP Jones

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

54.9%

African American:

34.7%

White:

5.5%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2014 → 9th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2014

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (17% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (9th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Pennsylvania average (77% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school17%

District avg35%

Pennsylvania avg52%

617^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 9%▲ up 7 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 9% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st 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	6.6	617 of 681	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.9	630 of 686	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	6.4	619 of 674	8.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	3.8	610 of 634	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.7	660 of 693	4.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.2	635 of 673	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	0.6	658 of 663	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	0.8	661 of 677	2.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	1.0	666 of 680	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	0.4	568 of 580	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	0.9	569 of 591	3.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	1.7	640 of 664	3.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	4.6	623 of 660	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.3	637 of 649	1.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	1.3	618 of 632	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.1	604 of 621	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	0.7	608 of 615	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	12.8	253 of 276	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	19.6	232 of 284	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	26.9	190 of 260	26.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	25.7	401 of 524	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.7	493 of 513	3.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	30.2	343 of 502	31.7%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	47 of 109	56.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	50.4	30 of 84	64.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	2.9	629 of 657	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.5	628 of 665	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	14.4	253 of 287	11.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.2	255 of 274	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.8	223 of 252	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	11.2	581 of 651	10.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	11.7	594 of 664	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	9.3	593 of 652	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	12.2	576 of 660	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.1	610 of 662	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)57th percentile+47 vs school

Disabled (2025)23rd percentile+14 vs school

Male (2025)13th percentile+3 vs school

Hispanic (2025)12th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)11th percentile~ school

African American (2025)8th percentile~ school

Female (2025)4th percentile-5 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature36%-26 vs state

Biology8%-41 vs state

Algebra I8%-37 vs state

★

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Schools Near Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math 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
Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School	Public	9-12	1901 N. Front St	Philadelphia	19122	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7400	510	31	16.6	97.8%	28 (5.5%)	177 (34.7%)	280 (54.9%)	2 (0.4%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.1%)	6.6	617^th of 681 public high schools	9.4%		5.9	630^th of 686 public high schools	8.2%	13	7.6	7.8	36.5									$21,887	$9,305	$12,582
Penn Treaty School	Public	6-12	600 E Thompson St	Philadelphia	19125	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3800	398	41	9.8	107.0%	85 (21.4%)	160 (40.2%)	131 (32.9%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (4.5%)	6.3	622^nd of 681 public high schools	8.7%		3.6	658^th of 686 public high schools	4.1%	36	9.7	21.6	18.0	10.3	6.3	10.3	8.9	20.0	20.0	25.9	21.9	$26,007	$10,894	$15,113
Kensington Health Sciences	Public	9-12	2463 Emerald St	Philadelphia	19125	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3609	457	29	16.0	98.2%	37 (8.1%)	89 (19.5%)	311 (68.1%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.1%)	25.1	524^th of 681 public high schools	23.1%		14.8	580^th of 686 public high schools	15.5%	56	14.4	19.5	62.2									$21,544	$9,321	$12,223
Kensington High School	Public	9-12	2501 Coral St	Philadelphia	19125	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7700	458	42	10.8	100.7%	33 (7.2%)	136 (29.7%)	258 (56.3%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (5.7%)	4.4	640^th of 681 public high schools	6.0%		5.9	632^nd of 686 public high schools	7.9%	8	9.0	9.0	25.4									$26,643	$11,068	$15,575
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
Bodine William W High School	Public, Magnet	9-12	1101 N 4th St	Philadelphia	19123	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-7630	489	19	25.1	94.9%	61 (12.5%)	193 (39.5%)	136 (27.8%)	58 (11.9%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	39 (8.0%)	57.5	317^th of 681 public high schools	53.5%		82.5	95^th of 686 public high schools	86.2%	222	39.6	47.7	72.0									$19,561	$7,698	$11,863
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
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
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
Mastbaum Jules E Area Vocational-Technical School	Public	9-12	3116 Frankford Avenue	Philadelphia	19134	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7220	651	39	16.6	90.3%	32 (4.9%)	279 (42.9%)	301 (46.2%)	7 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (4.6%)	9	604^th of 681 public high schools	11.3%		7.2	626^th of 686 public high schools	8.7%	22	9.1	22.8	33.4									$13,524	$6,009	$7,515

Frequently Asked Questions about Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School

What is the racial makeup of Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School?

Students at Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School are 55% Hispanic, 35% African American, 5% White, 4% Two or more races.

What district is Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School in?

Philadelphia City School District

How many students attend Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 510 students attended Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School.

Is Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School a good school?

Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School ranks in the bottom 9.4% of Pennsylvania high schools.

What schools feed into Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School?

Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Brown Henry A School
Elementary : Hartranft John F School
Elementary : Hunter William High School
Elementary : McKinley William School
Elementary : Richmond School
Elementary : Sheridan School
Elementary : Webster School
Elementary : Welsh John School
Elementary : Willard Frances E School
Middle : Memphis Street Academy Charter School @ JP Jones

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Latest Pennsylvania data All new data »

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 29, 2026

2024–25 dropout ratesMar 27, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataJan 29, 2026

2024–25 Keystone Exams & PSSA scoresNov 13, 2025

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.