Penn Wood Middle School

Summary:

Penn Wood Middle School is a public middle school located in Darby, Pennsylvania, serving grades 7-8 with a total enrollment of 683 students. The school is part of the William Penn School District, which is ranked 533 out of 610 school districts in Pennsylvania and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Penn Wood Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom quartile of Pennsylvania middle schools, with a statewide rank between 630-780 out of 728-891 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 across all subject areas and grade levels. While the school's overall performance is low, the school's performance for certain student subgroups, such as female, male, multi-racial students, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities, is even more concerning, ranking in the bottom quartile or bottom 20% in the state. The school has an extremely high percentage of students (over 99%) who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When comparing Penn Wood Middle School to nearby middle schools, the performance gap is stark. For example, Richardson Middle School in the Springfield School District, located just 4.55 miles away, ranks in the top 5% of Pennsylvania middle schools and significantly outperforms Penn Wood in all academic areas. Despite the high per-student spending and the school's long-standing low performance, there is little evidence of meaningful improvement in academic outcomes over the past 10 years, and the school's dropout rates are consistently higher than the state average.


Detail:

Public 7-8

 121 Summit St
       Darby, PA  19023-2298


(610) 586-1804

District: William Penn School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
748th of 891 Pennsylvania Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $19,787 Help


Students who attend Penn Wood Middle School usually attend:

High:    Penn Wood High School

Feeder schools for Penn Wood Middle School:

Elementary:    Aldan Elementary School
    Ardmore Avenue Elementary School
    Bell Avenue School
    Colwyn Elementary School
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  11.9 Help
Number of students:  635

Racial breakdown:

African American:
84.4%
Two or more races:
4.7%
Hispanic:
4.6%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  100% Help


 See top rated Pennsylvania middle schools

 Compare Penn Wood Middle School to nearby middle schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Penn Wood Middle School ranks worse than 84% of middle schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 14.1. (See more...)
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The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
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Compare Details Racial makeup is: African American (84.4%), two or more races (4.7%), Hispanic (4.6%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 100% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
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Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Penn Wood Middle School is 11.9. (See more...)
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Compare Penn Wood Middle School employs 53 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Penn Wood Middle School is $19,787. (See more...)
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Penn Wood Middle School:

SchoolDigger ranks Penn Wood Middle School 748th of 891 Pennsylvania public middle schools. (See Penn Wood Middle School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
African American students:
White students:


William Penn School District:

SchoolDigger ranks William Penn School District 533rd of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Your rating for Penn Wood Middle School?

Rank History for Penn Wood Middle School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2009 10.15 705th 770 8.4%
2010 10.20 739th 805 8.2%
2011 16.92 722nd 825 12.5%
2012 19.00 703rd 834 15.7%
2013 11.48 658th 758 13.2%
2014 11.96 630th 728 13.5%
2015 16.74 669th 835 19.9%
2016 16.08 705th 870 19.0%
2017 11.76 742nd 877 15.4%
2018 13.66 727th 861 15.6%
2019 10.49 780th 891 12.5%
2021 14.62 666th 797 16.4%
2022 13.02 748th 883 15.3%
2023 13.90 743rd 893 16.8%
2024 14.10 748th 891 16.0%
See the entire list of Pennsylvania Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 26.29 137th 187 26.7%
2024 20.66 167th 199 16.1%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 18.13 142nd 143 0.7%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 17.67 731st 874 16.4%
2024 18.53 725th 877 17.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 13.83 736th 860 14.4%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 20.09 580th 660 12.1%
2024 23.24 558th 672 17.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 14.35 731st 870 16.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 35.97 260th 421 38.2%
2024 33.15 253rd 408 38.0%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for White students at Penn Wood Middle School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 39.40 413th 673 38.6%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Dept of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Penn Wood Middle School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 





Data source: Pennsylvania Dept of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 5)
100%

0%

0%

0%

0%

  

by a student
Monday, July 14, 2014

Open Quote Best school I ever been too :) Close Quote



Enrollment information for Penn Wood Middle School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
2007 41 799 11 9 6 n/a n/a 0 866
2008 32 700 11 1 5 n/a n/a 0 749
2009 29 752 7 1 3 n/a n/a 0 792
2010 34 779 11 7 3 n/a n/a 0 834
2011 36 782 13 8 3 0 0 0 842
2012 31 715 8 8 3 0 1 0 766
2013 26 723 7 8 0 0 2 0 766
2014 27 721 10 8 0 0 0 0 766
2015 29 707 8 12 3 0 3 0 762
2016 24 686 6 18 4 0 5 0 743
2017 20 665 11 21 1 0 5 0 723
2018 16 663 12 22 2 0 6 0 721
2019 15 691 11 28 3 0 12 0 760
2020 21 657 9 22 4 0 17 0 730
2021 24 623 6 22 5 0 21 0 701
2022 18 609 6 30 4 0 22 0 689
2023 24 589 9 35 4 0 22 0 683
2024 27 536 8 29 4 1 30 0 635

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Penn Wood Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2007 866 55.3 15.7 n/a
2008 749 53.3 14.1 n/a
2009 792 57.3 13.8 62.6
2010 834 56.6 14.7 73.6
2011 842 57.9 14.5 79.5
2012 766 57.6 13.2 79.6
2013 766 55.1 13.9 81.2
2014 766 53.6 14.2 81.7
2015 762 54.0 14.1 75.3
2016 743 54.0 13.7 79.3
2017 723 54.6 13.2 78.3
2018 721 53.6 13.4 99.4
2019 760 54.1 14.0 99.5
2020 730 56.6 12.8 99.9
2021 701 55.0 12.7 99.6
2022 689 48.0 14.3 99.6
2023 683 53.0 12.8 100
2024 635 53.0 11.9 100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Penn Wood Middle School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
2007 866 55.3 15.7 n/a
2008 749 53.3 14.1 n/a
2009 792 57.3 13.8 62.6
2010 834 56.6 14.7 73.6
2011 842 57.9 14.5 79.5
2012 766 57.6 13.2 79.6
2013 766 55.1 13.9 81.2
2014 766 53.6 14.2 81.7
2015 762 54.0 14.1 75.3
2016 743 54.0 13.7 79.3
2017 723 54.6 13.2 78.3
2018 721 53.6 13.4 99.4
2019 760 54.1 14.0 99.5
2020 730 56.6 12.8 99.9
2021 701 55.0 12.7 99.6
2022 689 48.0 14.3 99.6
2023 683 53.0 12.8 100
2024 635 53.0 11.9 100

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Penn Wood Middle School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $799 (4.8%) $15,864 (95.2%) $16,663
2020 $826 (4.8%) $16,382 (95.2%) $17,209
2021 $1,476 (8.3%) $16,304 (91.7%) $17,780
2022 $834 (4.4%) $17,932 (95.6%) $18,766
2023 $1,400 (7.1%) $18,387 (92.9%) $19,786

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Penn Wood Middle School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 780th of 891 Middle schoolsRanks 743rd of 893 Middle schools
 4.3%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
7th Grade Math (Penn Wood Middle School)810.5
 2.5%
   7th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)38.233.2
 5%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Penn Wood Middle School)25.733.1
 7.4%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)60.554.5
 6%
8th Grade Math (Penn Wood Middle School)5.54.8
 0.7%
   8th Grade Math (Pennsylvania)32.226
 6.2%
8th Grade Science (Penn Wood Middle School)25.222.6
 2.6%
   8th Grade Science (Pennsylvania)58.257
 1.2%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Penn Wood Middle School)30.922.3
 8.6%
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)57.952.8
 5.1%
All Grades Math (Penn Wood Middle School)6.77.7
 1%
   All Grades Math (Pennsylvania)42.439.3
 3.1%
All Grades Science (Penn Wood Middle School)25.222.6
 2.6%
   All Grades Science (Pennsylvania)6865.6
 2.4%
All Grades English Language Arts (Penn Wood Middle School)28.227.6
 0.6%
   All Grades English Language Arts (Pennsylvania)60.953.8
 7.1%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students760683
 10.1%
African American691589
 14.8%
American Indian34
 33.3%
Asian119
 18.2%
Hispanic2835
 25%
Pacific Islander00
White1524
 60%
Two or More Races1222
 83.3%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients99.5%100%
 0.5%


Schools Near Penn Wood Middle School









Frequently Asked Questions about Penn Wood Middle School

Students who attend Penn Wood Middle School usually go on to attend Penn Wood High School

Students at Penn Wood Middle School are 84% African American, 5% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic, 4% White, 1% Asian.

Penn Wood Middle School ranks in the bottom 16.0% of Pennsylvania middle schools.

In the 2023-24 school year, 635 students attended Penn Wood Middle 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.





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