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Kensington High School

Public Grades 9-12

640^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 681 Pennsylvania High Schools

Better than 6% of Pennsylvania high schools

Summary

Kensington High School is a public high school in Philadelphia, PA, serving 460 students in grades 9-12. 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. Kensington High School has consistently ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Pennsylvania high schools, with a 0-star rating.

Kensington High School significantly underperforms compared to the district and state on standardized tests, with only 9% of 11th graders proficient or better in Algebra I, compared to 25.1% for the district and 44.3% for the state. The school's four-year graduation rate has declined from 87.9% to 63.3%, and its dropout rate has increased from 1.4% to 3.9%. Students with disabilities and English Language Learners perform particularly poorly, ranking in the bottom 15-30% of Pennsylvania high schools. The school has an extremely high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of poverty in the community.

While Kensington High School faces significant challenges, the data shows that it is not an outlier within the Philadelphia City School District. Several nearby schools, such as The Linc, Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School, and Penn Treaty School, also perform poorly on academic metrics and have high poverty rates. In contrast, the High School of Engineering & Science and Bodine William W High School, which are both magnet schools within the district, significantly outperform Kensington High School and the district average on academic measures.

458

Students ?

10.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$26,643

Per pupil spending ?

100.7%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2501 Coral St
Philadelphia, PA 19125

(215) 400-7700

District: Philadelphia City School District

Feeder schools for Kensington 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:

56.3%

African American:

29.7%

White:

7.2%

See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

Compare Kensington High School to nearby high schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 3rd percentile in 2019 → 6th in 2025

Strengths

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Pennsylvania average (14% vs 52% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)

!Graduation rate below the Pennsylvania average (56% vs 89%)

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school14%

District avg35%

Pennsylvania avg52%

640^th of 681

Pennsylvania public high schools ?

Bottom 6%▲ up 3 pts since 2019

From bottom 3% (2019) to bottom 6% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Pennsylvania High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

35^th 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	4.4	640 of 681	6.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	5.9	632 of 686	7.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	8.1	613 of 674	9.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	4.1	606 of 634	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	1.2	674 of 693	2.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	29.9	188 of 276	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	16.1	246 of 284	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	204 of 260	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	13.8	500 of 524	4.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	34.1	317 of 513	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.3	474 of 502	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	34.2	71 of 109	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	44.8	42 of 84	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	20.0	85 of 85	0.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	5.9	604 of 657	8.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	3.6	642 of 665	3.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	9.2	271 of 287	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	239 of 274	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.0	216 of 252	14.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	9.0	597 of 651	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	7.8	619 of 664	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	13.4	577 of 652	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Pennsylvania percentile	Rating
2025	4.6	629 of 660	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	8.8	598 of 662	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆

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)35th percentile+29 vs school

African American (2025)32nd percentile+26 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)8th percentile~ school

Female (2025)8th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile~ school

Male (2025)5th percentile~ school

Disabled (2025)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs Pennsylvania (2024-2025) ?

Literature25%-37 vs state

Algebra I9%-35 vs state

Biology9%-40 vs state

1.0

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Schools Near Kensington High School

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 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
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 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
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Kensington High School

What schools feed into Kensington High School?

Kensington 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

What is the racial makeup of Kensington High School?

Students at Kensington High School are 56% Hispanic, 30% African American, 7% White, 6% Two or more races.

Is Kensington High School a good school?

Kensington High School ranks in the bottom 6.0% of Pennsylvania high schools.

What district is Kensington High School in?

Philadelphia City School District

How many students attend Kensington High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 458 students attended Kensington High School.

Rate Kensington High School!

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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.