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

Pennell Joseph School

Q: Is Pennell Joseph School a good school?

Pennell Joseph School ranks in the bottom 16.3% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

Q: How many students attend Pennell Joseph School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 301 students attended Pennell Joseph School.

Q: What is the racial makeup of Pennell Joseph School?

Students at Pennell Joseph School are 88% African American, 5% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Q: What schools do graduates of Pennell Joseph School attend?

Students who attend Pennell Joseph School usually go on to attend: Middle : Wagner Gen Louis Middle School High : King Martin Luther High School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

1265^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 16% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

Pennell Joseph School is an elementary school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 308 students. 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.

Pennell Joseph School consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Pennsylvania elementary schools, with rankings ranging from 1265 to 1541 out of 1500+ schools over the past 10 years. The school's performance on PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) tests is significantly below the state and district averages, with only 16.1% of Pennell Joseph students proficient or better in Math, compared to 25% for the district and 41.7% for the state. The school's performance is particularly low for certain student subgroups, such as female students, low socioeconomic status students, and disabled students.

Despite the relatively high per-student spending, ranging from $16,713 to $21,818 per student, and the low student-to-teacher ratio, ranging from 11.6 to 13.3 students per teacher, Pennell Joseph School has struggled to improve its academic outcomes. The nearby Logan James School, Ellwood School, and Rowen William School also perform poorly on academic measures, while some charter schools in the area, like Mastery Cs-Francis D. Pastorius Elementary and Mastery Charter School John Wister Elementary, tend to outperform the traditional public schools in the district.

301

Students ?

11.6

Student/teacher ratio ?

$20,297

Per pupil spending ?

102.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1800 Nedro Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19141-1324

(215) 400-3680

District: Philadelphia City School District

Students who attend Pennell Joseph School usually attend:

Middle:	Wagner Gen Louis Middle School
High:	King Martin Luther High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

87.7%

Hispanic:

5.3%

Two or more races:

4.7%

See top rated Pennsylvania elementary schools

Compare Pennell Joseph School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — <1st percentile in 2014 → 16th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 16 percentile points since 2014

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (22% vs 45% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (16th percentile)

!Math scores 26 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school22%

District avg29%

Pennsylvania avg45%

1,265^th of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 16%▲ up 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 3% (2015) to bottom 16% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

64^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	15.9	1265 of 1511	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	7.3	1409 of 1526	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	7.4	1412 of 1534	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	5.4	1462 of 1534	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	2.5	1520 of 1544	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	2.6	1505 of 1530	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	2.7	1513 of 1547	2.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	2.1	1541 of 1554	0.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2015	3.2	1435 of 1474	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	0.1	1467 of 1467	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	2.7	1453 of 1519	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2012	2.1	1566 of 1599	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	1.6	1579 of 1597	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	1.5	1562 of 1579	1.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	2.7	1516 of 1549	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	2.6	1513 of 1551	2.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	4.4	1488 of 1555	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	4.8	1478 of 1545	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	2.8	1243 of 1299	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2004	5.6	1202 of 1308	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2003	1.5	1253 of 1302	3.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	55.1	149 of 413	63.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	38.8	264 of 437	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.1	261 of 437	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	8.0	1079 of 1084	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.7	1038 of 1043	0.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	6.3	1403 of 1466	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	4.0	1460 of 1488	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	27.9	1047 of 1369	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	12.0	1292 of 1432	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	12.2	1275 of 1414	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	26.2	1106 of 1475	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	14.9	1267 of 1495	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)64th percentile+48 vs school

Male (2025)25th percentile+9 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)24th percentile+7 vs school

Female (2025)4th percentile-12 vs school

Disabled (2024)<1st percentile-7 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts28%-20 vs state

Math16%-26 vs state

2.0

1 rating

5★0

4★0

3★0

2★1

1★0

Rate Pennell Joseph School

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

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Pennell Joseph 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
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
Prince Hall School	Public	PK, KG-5	6101 North Gratz Street	Philadelphia	19141	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3690	360	24	15.1	104.2%	1 (0.3%)	331 (91.9%)	14 (3.9%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.3%)	6.4	1438^th of 1511 public elementary schools	4.8%		10.4	1356^th of 1526 public elementary schools	11.1%	82	9.8	12.9	4.2				8.0	22.0	15.4	11.1				15.5	$19,195	$6,541	$12,654
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
Mastery Cs-Francis D. Pastorius Elementary	Public, Charter	K-8	5650 Sprague Street	Philadelphia	19138	Philadelphia County	Mastery CS-Francis D. Pastorius Elementary	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 951-5689	647	43	15.0	99.5%	3 (0.5%)	566 (87.5%)	38 (5.9%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.4%)	2 (0.3%)	29 (4.5%)	16.6	1253^rd of 1511 public elementary schools	17.1%		11.6	1337^th of 1526 public elementary schools	12.4%	84	25.4	21.2	16.0	13.8	4.6	6.6	14.5	19.0	34.9	25.0	29.3	25.7	23.3	26.4	$19,334	$5,374	$13,960
Logan James School	Public	PK, KG-5	1700 Lindley Ave	Philadelphia	19141	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3670	264	25	10.6	92.4%	1 (0.4%)	226 (85.6%)	30 (11.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.7%)	26.9	1117^th of 1511 public elementary schools	26.1%		13.2	1313^th of 1526 public elementary schools	14.0%	196	18.8	48.4	31.7				32.7	18.7	41.9	26.8				28.8	$21,614	$4,776	$16,838
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
Rowen William School	Public	K-5	6841 N 19th St	Philadelphia	19126	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-3550	296	25	11.7	104.4%	3 (1.0%)	267 (90.2%)	16 (5.4%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.4%)	4 (1.4%)	11.3	1331^st of 1511 public elementary schools	11.9%		6.3	1430^th of 1526 public elementary schools	6.3%	99	24.4	8.9	5.1				12.1	28.9	15.6	25.4				23.5	$21,081	$6,839	$14,242
Mastery Charter School John Wister Elementary	Public, Charter	K-5	67 E Bringhurst Street	Philadelphia	19144	Philadelphia County	Mastery Charter School John Wister Elementary	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 951-4003	506	30	16.8	98.4%	5 (1.0%)	452 (89.3%)	28 (5.5%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	20 (4.0%)	18.6	1225^th of 1511 public elementary schools	18.9%		9.6	1366^th of 1526 public elementary schools	10.5%	141	36.7	28.1	10.3				24.0	44.2	23.2	13.1				26.0	$19,939	$5,110	$14,828
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Pennell Joseph School

What is the racial makeup of Pennell Joseph School?

Students at Pennell Joseph School are 88% African American, 5% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

How many students attend Pennell Joseph School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 301 students attended Pennell Joseph School.

What district is Pennell Joseph School in?

Philadelphia City School District

What schools do graduates of Pennell Joseph School attend?

Students who attend Pennell Joseph School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Wagner Gen Louis Middle School
High : King Martin Luther High School

Is Pennell Joseph School a good school?

Pennell Joseph School ranks in the bottom 16.3% of Pennsylvania elementary schools.

Rate Pennell Joseph School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

PAPennsylvania Elementary School Rankings

PAPennsylvania District Rankings

Schools in Philadelphia, PA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Pennell Joseph School!

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.