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Vare-Washington Elementary School

Q: Is Vare-Washington Elementary School a good school?

Vare-Washington Elementary School ranks 962 nd of 1511 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

962^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 1,511 Pennsylvania Elementary Schools

Better than 36% of Pennsylvania elementary schools

Summary

Vare-Washington Elementary School is a public school in Philadelphia, PA, serving 329 students in grades PK-8. It 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. Vare-Washington Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Pennsylvania elementary schools over the past decade, with a current ranking of 962 out of 1,511 schools and a 2-star rating.

Vare-Washington Elementary School consistently underperforms compared to the district and state on standardized tests, with only 33.7% of students proficient or better in PSSA Math and 48.6% proficient or better in PSSA English Language Arts, compared to 25% and 33.4% for the district, and 41.7% and 48.5% for the state, respectively. The school also has significant achievement gaps between different student groups, with Hispanic students and English Language Learners performing better than their peers. Additionally, Vare-Washington Elementary School has had relatively high dropout rates in recent years, ranging from 0.0% to 5.5%.

Despite its poor performance, Vare-Washington Elementary School is located in close proximity to several high-performing schools, such as McCall Gen George A School and Meredith William Middle School, which are ranked among the top 5% of Pennsylvania elementary schools. This suggests that the school's struggles are not solely due to its geographic location or the broader district challenges. Additionally, the school's performance on PSSA English Language Arts is relatively stronger than its Math performance, indicating that targeted interventions and support in Math could potentially yield positive results.

375

Students ?

11.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,566

Per pupil spending ?

87.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1198 S 5th St
Philadelphia, PA 19147

(215) 400-8120

District: Philadelphia City School District

Students who attend Vare-Washington Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Furness Horace High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

33.9%

White:

27.2%

African American:

20.3%

See top rated Pennsylvania elementary schools

Compare Vare-Washington Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 12th percentile in 2015 → 36th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 24 percentile points since 2015

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Philadelphia City School District

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

District avg29%

Pennsylvania avg45%

Elementary school

962^nd of 1,511

Pennsylvania public elementary schools ?

Bottom 36%▲ up 24 pts since 2015

From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

310^th of 873

Pennsylvania public middle schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 49 pts since 2015

From bottom 16% (2015) to top 36% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

31^st 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	40.2	962 of 1511	36.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	41.6	991 of 1526	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2023	37.9	1051 of 1534	31.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	29.7	1114 of 1534	27.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.8	1162 of 1544	24.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.8	1218 of 1530	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	14.8	1304 of 1547	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	12.8	1333 of 1554	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	11.2	1292 of 1474	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	67.2	43 of 200	78.5%	★★★★☆
2023	57.0	62 of 196	68.4%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	41.4	927 of 1466	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	46.8	888 of 1488	40.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	47.0	200 of 429	53.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	32.8	322 of 454	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	46.8	225 of 432	47.9%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	794 of 1369	42.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	45.7	868 of 1432	39.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	51.4	751 of 1414	46.9%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	44.4	867 of 1475	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	40.7	983 of 1495	34.2%	★★☆☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	62.2	310 of 873	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2024	47.8	485 of 891	45.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	70.9	235 of 893	73.7%	★★★★☆
2022	66.4	283 of 883	68.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.7	197 of 797	75.3%	★★★★☆
2019	48.7	497 of 891	44.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.5	585 of 861	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	19.7	683 of 877	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	22.6	664 of 870	23.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.7	704 of 835	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	60.3	64 of 145	55.9%	★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	78.8	15 of 150	90.0%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	49.4	433 of 835	48.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	42.7	523 of 860	39.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2024	55.0	141 of 362	61.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	88.7	24 of 362	93.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	71.3	173 of 843	79.5%	★★★★☆
2024	66.1	248 of 877	71.7%	★★★★☆
2023	87.2	62 of 874	92.9%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	75.0	161 of 839	80.8%	★★★★☆
2024	54.7	395 of 870	54.6%	★★★☆☆

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)

Elementary school

English Language Learner (2024)78th percentile+43 vs school

Hispanic (2025)53rd percentile+17 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)42nd percentile+6 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile+5 vs school

Female (2025)37th percentile~ school

Middle school

English Language Learner (2024)90th percentile+44 vs school

Male (2025)81st percentile+16 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)79th percentile+15 vs school

Hispanic (2024)61st percentile+15 vs school

Asian (2024)56th percentile+10 vs school

Female (2025)48th percentile-16 vs school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts49%~ state avg

Math34%-8 vs state

★

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Schools Near Vare-Washington Elementary 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)				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
Vare-Washington Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	1198 S 5th St	Philadelphia	19147	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8120	375	33	11.3	87.7%	102 (27.2%)	76 (20.3%)	127 (33.9%)	39 (10.4%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (8.0%)	40.2	962^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	36.3%		41.6	991^st of 1526 public elementary schools	35.1%	29	52.4	26.0	19.3	17.8	45.7	27.3	33.7	50.0	34.8	35.5	64.3	62.8	36.4	48.6	$19,566	$6,614	$12,951
Nebinger George W School	Public	PK, KG-8	601 Carpenter St	Philadelphia	19147	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8110	391	32	12.1	103.3%	109 (27.9%)	139 (35.5%)	88 (22.5%)	32 (8.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (5.6%)	56.5	724^th of 1511 public elementary schools	52.1%		54.2	810^th of 1526 public elementary schools	46.9%	86	66.7	42.8	35.0	48.8	22.7	32.1	44.1	55.5	48.6	30.8	56.8	40.9	46.4	47.4	$21,403	$7,187	$14,216
Kirkbride Eliza B School	Public	PK, KG-8	1501 S 7th St	Philadelphia	19147	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7980	522	37	14.2	96.6%	68 (13.0%)	30 (5.7%)	291 (55.7%)	105 (20.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	28 (5.4%)	34.7	1032^nd of 1511 public elementary schools	31.7%		27.7	1129^th of 1526 public elementary schools	26.0%	97	44.4	30.0	24.5	28.0	40.8	27.8	32.4	40.0	45.8	30.6	45.1	32.6	38.9	38.9	$24,946	$12,868	$12,078
Meredith William Middle School	Public	K-8	725 S 5th St	Philadelphia	19147	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	No	(215) 400-7990	556	29	19.1	92.6%	343 (61.7%)	44 (7.9%)	63 (11.3%)	40 (7.2%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	64 (11.5%)	96.5	11^th of 1511 public elementary schools	99.3%		92.4	32^nd of 1526 public elementary schools	97.9%	21	84.0	87.7	84.7	87.5	69.7	76.8	82.6	84.0	90.7	91.4	97.5	93.9	91.0	90.4	$18,019	$2,629	$15,390
Fanny Jackson Coppin School	Public	PK, KG-8	1213 S 12th St	Philadelphia	19147	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7970	547	33	16.6	98.2%	252 (46.1%)	63 (11.5%)	136 (24.9%)	33 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	63 (11.5%)	79.2	293^rd of 1511 public elementary schools	80.6%		67.3	550^th of 1526 public elementary schools	64.0%	257	75.0	69.1	56.3	53.9	55.0	44.2	59.6	66.0	72.8	45.8	65.6	65.0	62.8	63.4	$18,435	$6,739	$11,696
Southwark School	Public	PK, KG-8	1835 S 9th St	Philadelphia	19148	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8400	976	64	15.3	99.0%	136 (13.9%)	64 (6.6%)	562 (57.6%)	188 (19.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (2.5%)	25.5	1134^th of 1511 public elementary schools	25.0%		16.1	1271^st of 1526 public elementary schools	16.7%	137	38.7	33.7	23.7	18.6	20.4	14.0	24.5	34.1	31.6	28.1	37.1	46.6	41.6	36.8	$18,260	$5,851	$12,410
Christopher Columbus Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	South Building	Philadelphia	19147	Philadelphia County	Christopher Columbus Charter School	Yes	No	No	Yes	(215) 389-6000	829	59	14.0	29.9%	400 (48.3%)	162 (19.5%)	111 (13.4%)	113 (13.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (5.2%)	62.3	611^th of 1511 public elementary schools	59.6%		58.5	734^th of 1526 public elementary schools	51.9%	123	49.5	34.6	67.5	42.0	53.1	21.6	44.3	56.2	45.7	56.6	68.0	71.6	65.6	60.7	$172	$80	$92
McCall Gen George A School	Public	K-8	325 S 7th St	Philadelphia	19106	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-7840	629	38	16.7	98.1%	184 (29.3%)	79 (12.6%)	36 (5.7%)	269 (42.8%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	60 (9.5%)	90.5	109^th of 1511 public elementary schools	92.8%		85.4	184^th of 1526 public elementary schools	87.9%	75	88.9	81.4	57.6	64.4	76.4	73.1	74.7	80.2	78.9	76.3	67.8	81.8	92.3	79.3	$17,877	$6,099	$11,778
Key Francis Scott School	Public	K-6	2230 S 8th St	Philadelphia	19148	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8250	370	30	12.4	104.3%	21 (5.7%)	16 (4.3%)	226 (61.1%)	103 (27.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	2 (0.5%)	18.8	1219^th of 1511 public elementary schools	19.3%		21.4	1197^th of 1526 public elementary schools	21.6%	22	29.1	25.0	20.4	25.0			24.9	21.8	27.2	22.2	34.0			25.8	$20,778	$6,521	$14,258
Sharswood George School	Public	PK, KG-8	2300 S 2nd St	Philadelphia	19148	Philadelphia County	Philadelphia City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(215) 400-8270	364	34	10.8	97.0%	138 (37.9%)	35 (9.6%)	98 (26.9%)	63 (17.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (8.0%)	30.9	1075^th of 1511 public elementary schools	28.9%		20.4	1212^th of 1526 public elementary schools	20.6%	137	41.9	22.7	19.4	12.9	19.1	14.9	21.1	54.8	36.4	29.1	43.4	53.2	36.2	42.8	$20,115	$6,822	$13,294

Frequently Asked Questions about Vare-Washington Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Vare-Washington Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Vare-Washington Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Furness Horace High School

What district is Vare-Washington Elementary School in?

Philadelphia City School District

Is Vare-Washington Elementary School a good school?

Vare-Washington Elementary School ranks 962^nd of 1511 Pennsylvania elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Vare-Washington Elementary School?

Students at Vare-Washington Elementary School are 34% Hispanic, 27% White, 20% African American, 10% Asian, 8% Two or more races.

How many students attend Vare-Washington Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 375 students attended Vare-Washington Elementary School.

Rate Vare-Washington Elementary School!

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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.