Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Academy at Palumbo

Public, Magnet Grades 9-12

39^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 94% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

The Academy at Palumbo is a public magnet high school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serving 1,188 students in grades 9-12. This school consistently ranks among the top high schools in the state, maintaining a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for most of the past decade, indicating exceptional academic performance.

The school excels in the performance of various student subgroups, ranking among the top 10-60 high schools in Pennsylvania for female, male, Asian, African American, Hispanic, and English Language Learner students. The Academy at Palumbo has a strong four-year graduation rate, ranging from 71.9% to 94.5% over the past few years, and a low dropout rate between 0.0% and 5.5%. Additionally, the school significantly outperforms the Philadelphia City School District and the state of Pennsylvania in Keystone Exam proficiency rates for 11th-grade students in Algebra I, Biology, and Literature.

When compared to nearby schools, such as Parkway Center City Middle College, Masterman Julia R Sec School, and National Constitution Center High School, as well as nearby charter schools like Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics Science Technical and Careers, Mastery Charter High School-Lenfest Campus, Freire Charter School, and Philadelphia Electrical & Technology Charter High School, the Academy at Palumbo outperforms these institutions in academic achievement and other key metrics, making it a standout educational institution in the Philadelphia area.

1,225

Students ?

35.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$16,840

Per pupil spending ?

97%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1100 Catharine St
Philadelphia, PA 19147-2622

(215) 400-8130

District: Philadelphia City School District

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

33.6%

African American:

25.0%

Hispanic:

18.3%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Academy at Palumbo to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 67th percentile in 2015 → 94th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Pennsylvania average (78% vs 52% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 6% of Pennsylvania high schools

✓96% graduate in 4 years — above the Pennsylvania average (89%)

Worth a look

!Large classes — about 35 students per teacher

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school78%

District avg35%

Pennsylvania avg52%

39^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Top 6%▲ up 27 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to top 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd 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	91.9	39 of 681	94.3%	★★★★★
2024	94.6	20 of 686	97.1%	★★★★★
2023	89.2	44 of 674	93.5%	★★★★★
2022	81.9	92 of 634	85.5%	★★★★☆
2021	44.5	379 of 537	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	87.5	41 of 693	94.1%	★★★★★
2018	82.0	87 of 673	87.1%	★★★★☆
2017	81.9	89 of 663	86.6%	★★★★☆
2016	85.1	45 of 677	93.4%	★★★★★
2015	70.3	223 of 680	67.2%	★★★☆☆
2014	66.9	194 of 580	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2013	63.1	228 of 591	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2012	66.6	249 of 664	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2011	72.2	180 of 660	72.7%	★★★★☆
2010	75.0	135 of 649	79.2%	★★★★☆
2009	79.2	98 of 632	84.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	97.7	3 of 276	98.9%	★★★★★
2024	98.0	7 of 284	97.5%	★★★★★
2023	92.5	15 of 260	94.2%	★★★★★

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	82.9	11 of 125	91.2%	★★★★★
2024	78.9	20 of 121	83.5%	★★★★☆
2023	73.0	39 of 112	65.2%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	90.5	43 of 524	91.8%	★★★★★
2024	93.5	33 of 513	93.6%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	100.0	1 of 109	99.1%	★★★★★
2024	100.0	1 of 84	98.8%	★★★★★
2023	100.0	1 of 85	98.8%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	86.7	60 of 657	90.9%	★★★★★
2024	91.1	33 of 665	95.0%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	93.6	15 of 287	94.8%	★★★★★
2024	97.0	10 of 274	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	98.2	3 of 252	98.8%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	98.0	4 of 651	99.4%	★★★★★
2024	99.1	5 of 664	99.2%	★★★★★
2023	96.3	11 of 652	98.3%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	95.7	17 of 660	97.4%	★★★★★
2024	96.7	8 of 662	98.8%	★★★★★

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	82.7	28 of 165	83.0%	★★★★☆
2024	83.1	26 of 150	82.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	93.7	23 of 583	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	96.1	13 of 595	97.8%	★★★★★
2023	76.0	122 of 577	78.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)99th percentile+5 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)99th percentile+5 vs school

African American (2025)99th percentile+5 vs school

Male (2025)97th percentile+3 vs school

White (2025)96th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)95th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)92nd percentile~ school

Asian (2025)91st percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)91st percentile-3 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)83rd percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature92%+29 vs state

Algebra I74%+30 vs state

Biology69%+20 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★0

1★1

Rate Academy at Palumbo

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

What people are saying

by a parent
Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Contrary to it being touted as an academically high achieving school and the various rankings, when you look at the actual PA testing, academic performance, and standards, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST OVER-RATED AND UNDER-PERFORMING SCHOOLS n the Philly School District. In fact, the Pa. Department of Education, gives it a score of 67.8/100 in terms of meeting PA academic performance standards. Specifically, the school in 2013-2014, had a dismal academic performance rating of 27.32, in terms of science/biology and a extremely weak rating of 60.55, in terms of the SAT/ACT College Ready benchmark. The school also performs significantly below average in terms of advanced achievement across all PSSA/Keystone advanced standards. More recently, the PSD budget cuts have and continue to pose a problem for this school in terms of consistent teachers, and even having basic school needs such as counselors and a librarian. The school does NOT deserve the accolades, recognition, or other rankings as a top-performing school in Philly, especially where the actual Pa. Dept. of Education data, suggests otherwise. Close Quote

Schools Near Academy at Palumbo

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 5th Grade	PSSA Math 6th Grade	PSSA Math 7th Grade	PSSA Math 8th Grade	PSSA Math All Grades	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
Academy at Palumbo	Public, Magnet	9-12	1100 Catharine St	Philadelphia	19147	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-8130	1,225	35	35.0	97.0%	213 (17.4%)	306 (25.0%)	224 (18.3%)	411 (33.6%)	4 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	66 (5.4%)	91.9	39^th of 681 public high schools	94.3%		94.6	20^th of 686 public high schools	97.1%	19	74.1	68.9	91.6											$16,840	$6,357	$10,482
Creative and Performing Arts	Public, Magnet	9-12	901 S Broad St	Philadelphia	19147	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-8140	643	20	31.5	101.7%	172 (26.7%)	323 (50.2%)	79 (12.3%)	39 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	29 (4.5%)	59.1	304^th of 681 public high schools	55.4%		59.6	298^th of 686 public high schools	56.6%	6	37.2	44.1	84.0											$18,596	$7,540	$11,056
National Constitution Center High School	Public	9-12	18 S 7th St	Philadelphia	19106	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7850	421	19	22.1	94.8%	17 (4.0%)	297 (70.5%)	65 (15.4%)	19 (4.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (5.5%)	21.8	545^th of 681 public high schools	20.0%		42.1	455^th of 686 public high schools	33.7%	90	28.9	13.8	50.6											$18,126	$7,222	$10,904
Mastery Charter High School-Lenfest Campus	Public, Charter	7-12	35 S. 4th Street	Philadelphia	19106	Philadelphia County	Mastery Charter High School-Lenfest Campus	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 922-1902	660	40	16.5	96.1%	4 (0.6%)	509 (77.1%)	120 (18.2%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	23 (3.5%)	32.6	488^th of 681 public high schools	28.3%		12.4	585^th of 686 public high schools	14.7%	97	29.8	23.9	62.6			19.4	15.9	17.6			37.5	38.8	38.2	$22,443	$5,485	$16,958
Freire Charter School	Public, Charter	5-12	2027 Chestnut Street	Philadelphia	19103	Philadelphia County	Freire Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 557-8555	1,024	74	13.8	93.1%	9 (0.9%)	926 (90.4%)	40 (3.9%)	2 (0.2%)	6 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (4.0%)	34.7	479^th of 681 public high schools	29.7%		26.2	526^th of 686 public high schools	23.3%	47	29.2	31.1	61.1	14.6	9.7	3.6	18.7	11.0	6.3	28.1	24.3	42.7	28.8	$26,295	$5,578	$20,717
Philadelphia Electrical & Technology Charter High School	Public, Charter	9-12	1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway	Philadelphia	19103	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia Electrical & Technology Charter High School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(267) 514-1824	629	35	17.8	97.8%	20 (3.2%)	547 (87.0%)	31 (4.9%)	3 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (4.5%)	10.4	597^th of 681 public high schools	12.3%		10.5	594^th of 686 public high schools	13.4%	3	5.7	17.9	42.5											$3,460	$3,460	$00
South Philadelphia High School	Public	9-12	2101 S Broad St	Philadelphia	19148	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8400	684	52	13.2	96.1%	45 (6.6%)	249 (36.4%)	267 (39.0%)	78 (11.4%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	41 (6.0%)	3.1	656^th of 681 public high schools	3.7%		7.4	624^th of 686 public high schools	9.0%	32	3.5	7.0	23.3											$19,169	$8,263	$10,906
Furness Horace High School	Public	9-12	1900 S 3rd St	Philadelphia	19148	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8300	896	46	19.6	91.7%	64 (7.1%)	139 (15.5%)	395 (44.1%)	266 (29.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	31 (3.5%)	9.2	601^st of 681 public high schools	11.7%		11.6	590^th of 686 public high schools	14.0%	11	16.2	21.3	28.3											$20,097	$8,310	$11,786
Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics Science Technical and Careers	Public, Charter	9-12	1928 Point Breeze Avenue	Philadelphia	19145	Philadelphia County	Preparatory Charter School of Mathematics Science Technical	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 334-6144	589	42	14.0		44 (7.5%)	415 (70.5%)	67 (11.4%)	43 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	15 (2.5%)	4 (0.7%)	18.6	558^th of 681 public high schools	18.1%		24	542^nd of 686 public high schools	21.0%	16	18.7	27.1	46.4											$5,164	$5,164	$00
Parkway Center City Middle College	Public, Magnet	9-12	540 N 13th Street	Philadelphia	19123	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(215) 400-7620	436	13	32.7	97.7%	11 (2.5%)	288 (66.1%)	86 (19.7%)	32 (7.3%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.5%)	16 (3.7%)	75.1	163^rd of 681 public high schools	76.1%		77.8	134^th of 686 public high schools	80.5%	29	46.3	60.9	84.5											$21,812	$6,865	$14,947

Frequently Asked Questions about Academy at Palumbo

Is Academy at Palumbo a good school?

Yes. Academy at Palumbo ranks in the top 5.7% of Pennsylvania high schools.

What district is Academy at Palumbo in?

Philadelphia City School District

What is the racial makeup of Academy at Palumbo?

Students at Academy at Palumbo are 34% Asian, 25% African American, 18% Hispanic, 17% White, 5% Two or more races.

How many students attend Academy at Palumbo?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,225 students attended Academy at Palumbo.

Rate Academy at Palumbo!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

PAPennsylvania High School Rankings

PAPennsylvania District Rankings

Schools in Philadelphia, PA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Academy at Palumbo!

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.