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Middle Years Alternative

Q: Is Middle Years Alternative a good school?

Middle Years Alternative ranks 642 nd of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades 5-8

642^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 873 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Better than 26% of Pennsylvania middle schools

Summary

Middle Years Alternative is a public middle school in Philadelphia, PA, serving 155 students in grades 5-8 and part of the Philadelphia City School District.

Middle Years Alternative consistently performs below the Philadelphia City School District and Pennsylvania state averages in PSSA Math and English Language Arts proficiency. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, only 13% of students were proficient or better in PSSA Math, compared to 25% in the district and 41.7% statewide. The school's performance for student groups like female students, male students, and students with disabilities is significantly lower, ranking in the bottom half of Pennsylvania middle schools. Middle Years Alternative also experiences relatively high dropout rates, ranging from 1.4% to 5.5% over the past few years, which are higher than the state average.

Compared to nearby schools like Amy NW, Science Leadership Academy Middle School, and Bala-Cynwyd Middle School, Middle Years Alternative's academic performance is significantly lower, with higher PSSA proficiency rates and higher SchoolDigger rankings. The nearby schools also have lower dropout rates and higher spending per student compared to Middle Years Alternative. These disparities in educational outcomes and resources suggest that Middle Years Alternative may face significant challenges in providing a quality education to its students.

128

Students ?

10.5

Student/teacher ratio ?

$24,823

Per pupil spending ?

121.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

4725 Fairmont Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19139

(215) 400-7720

District: Philadelphia City School District

Racial breakdown:

African American:

78.9%

Hispanic:

12.5%

Two or more races:

4.7%

See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

Compare Middle Years Alternative to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 30th percentile in 2015 → 26th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 10 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (21% vs 45% meeting standards)

!Math scores 29 pts below the Pennsylvania average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school21%

District avg29%

Pennsylvania avg45%

642^nd of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Bottom 26%▼ down 4 pts since 2015

From bottom 30% (2015) to bottom 26% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

5^th of 14Middle 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	24.5	642 of 873	26.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	29.6	619 of 891	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2023	28.8	626 of 893	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.3	610 of 883	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.2	656 of 797	17.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.1	641 of 891	28.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.2	581 of 861	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	38.4	566 of 877	35.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.8	609 of 870	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2015	30.6	582 of 835	30.3%	★★☆☆☆
2014	35.0	537 of 728	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	35.4	569 of 758	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	50.0	524 of 834	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	44.9	563 of 825	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2010	53.0	478 of 805	40.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	58.2	388 of 770	49.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	69.6	230 of 753	69.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	71.1	221 of 749	70.5%	★★★★☆
2006	68.3	239 of 736	67.5%	★★★☆☆
2005	76.6	168 of 687	75.5%	★★★★☆
2004	67.8	243 of 663	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2003	60.4	302 of 643	53.0%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	48.4	167 of 393	57.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	60.2	122 of 408	70.1%	★★★★☆
2023	61.8	119 of 421	71.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	28.9	485 of 672	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	23.2	631 of 835	24.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	31.6	599 of 860	30.3%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	32.3	584 of 843	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.5	526 of 877	40.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.2	494 of 874	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	29.2	589 of 839	29.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	627 of 870	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

African American (2025)58th percentile+31 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)31st percentile+4 vs school

Male (2025)30th percentile+3 vs school

Disabled (2024)28th percentile-3 vs school

Female (2025)24th percentile~ school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts29%-19 vs state

Math13%-29 vs state

★

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Schools Near Middle Years Alternative

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 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
Middle Years Alternative	Public	5-8	4725 Fairmont Ave	Philadelphia	19139	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7720	128	12	10.5	121.1%	1 (0.8%)	101 (78.9%)	16 (12.5%)	3 (2.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	6 (4.7%)	24.5	642^nd of 873 public middle schools	26.5%		29.6	619^th of 891 public middle schools	30.5%	23		6.4	24.0	17.1	13.0		28.2	19.2	41.7	29.3	$24,823	$10,055	$14,767
Science Leadership Academy Middle School	Public	5-8	3610 Warren St	Philadelphia	19104	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8320	353	12	30.4	99.7%	94 (26.6%)	204 (57.8%)	19 (5.4%)	19 (5.4%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.2%)	53	402^nd of 873 public middle schools	54.0%		50.2	461^st of 891 public middle schools	48.3%	59	35.0	32.1	25.0	14.4	26.9	56.1	58.3	59.8	43.6	54.7	$18,404	$6,736	$11,668
Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School	Public, Charter	5-9	2601 S 58th St	Philadelphia	19143	Philadelphia County	Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 878-1544	315	23	13.6	117.1%	3 (1.0%)	292 (92.7%)	9 (2.9%)	8 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.0%)	10	790^th of 873 public middle schools	9.5%		10.9	780^th of 891 public middle schools	12.5%	10	4.3	1.4	4.8	0.0	2.5	18.6	24.3	19.1	21.0	20.9	$23,175	$8,069	$15,106
Beverly Hills Middle School	Public	6-8	1400 Garrett Rd	Upper Darby	19082	Delaware County	Upper Darby School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 626-9317	1,475	109	13.5	101.4%	60 (4.1%)	694 (47.1%)	373 (25.3%)	300 (20.3%)	2 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	45 (3.1%)	14.4	735^th of 873 public middle schools	15.8%		13.1	757^th of 891 public middle schools	15.0%	22		12.1	9.0	7.9	9.5		24.4	24.2	19.6	22.7	$16,301	$2,687	$13,615
Tilden William T Middle School	Public	5-8	6601 Elmwood Ave	Philadelphia	19142	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8170	266	21	12.4	98.9%	5 (1.9%)	199 (74.8%)	39 (14.7%)	18 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.9%)	6.6	850^th of 873 public middle schools	2.6%		7.1	849^th of 891 public middle schools	4.7%	1	4.3	2.8	0.0	1.5	1.9	4.8	8.6	15.2	14.7	11.8	$34,663	$20,245	$14,418
Universal Vare Charter School	Public, Charter	5-8	2100 South 24th Street	Philadelphia	19145	Philadelphia County	Universal Vare Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 952-8611	107	7	15.2	133.6%	2 (1.9%)	69 (64.5%)	11 (10.3%)	21 (19.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (3.7%)	12.2	760^th of 873 public middle schools	12.9%		14.5	741^st of 891 public middle schools	16.8%	19	5.9	3.7	0.0	5.8	4.3	17.6	23.1	13.6	26.9	22.3	$14,018	$7,052	$6,966
Young Scholars Charter School	Public, Charter	5-8	900 N Marshall St	Philadelphia	19123	Philadelphia County	Young Scholars Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 232-9727	265	20	13.2	94.7%	0 (0.0%)	47 (17.7%)	24 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	194 (73.2%)	7.1	844^th of 873 public middle schools	3.3%		7.9	829^th of 891 public middle schools	7.0%	15		1.3	2.4	0.0	1.2		9.1	16.5	16.7	14.1	$25,939	$5,043	$20,896
Bala-Cynwyd Middle School	Public	5-8	510 Bryn Mawr Ave	Bala Cynwyd	19004	Montgomery County	Lower Merion School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 645-1480	794	79	10.1	15.1%	488 (61.5%)	69 (8.7%)	41 (5.2%)	113 (14.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (10.5%)	98	13^th of 873 public middle schools	98.5%		96.9	13^th of 891 public middle schools	98.5%		79.4	83.1	69.9	73.2	76.6	80.4	87.2	82.7	79.6	82.6	$34,542	$230	$34,312
Penn Wood Middle School	Public	7-8	121 Summit St	Darby	19023	Delaware County	William Penn School District	No	No	No	Yes	(610) 586-1804	667	53	12.5	95.2%	15 (2.2%)	574 (86.1%)	28 (4.2%)	12 (1.8%)	5 (0.7%)	2 (0.3%)	31 (4.6%)	15.4	720^th of 873 public middle schools	17.5%		14.1	748^th of 891 public middle schools	16.0%	28			8.6	5.3	7.0			26.1	24.9	25.5	$21,939	$1,685	$20,253
Drexel Hill Middle School	Public	6-8	3001 State Rd	Drexel Hill	19026	Delaware County	Upper Darby School District	No	No	No	No	(610) 853-4580	1,244	102	12.2	103.7%	302 (24.3%)	644 (51.8%)	120 (9.6%)	99 (8.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (6.3%)	18.8	688^th of 873 public middle schools	21.2%		20.5	685^th of 891 public middle schools	23.1%	3		10.3	13.1	12.6	12.1		28.6	25.4	27.1	27.0	$17,325	$1,022	$16,303

Frequently Asked Questions about Middle Years Alternative

Is Middle Years Alternative a good school?

Middle Years Alternative ranks 642^nd of 873 Pennsylvania middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Middle Years Alternative?

Students at Middle Years Alternative are 79% African American, 13% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 2% Asian.

How many students attend Middle Years Alternative?

In the 2024-25 school year, 128 students attended Middle Years Alternative.

What district is Middle Years Alternative in?

Philadelphia City School District

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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.