ONLY 10% of Philadelphia STUDENTS go on to earn a college degree.

 
 

CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT

  • Philadelphia has a 27% poverty level and the highest crime rate among the top 10 largest cities in America
  • 75% of public high school students in the Philadelphia School District come from low-income families
  • Low-income students are often the first in their family to pursue higher education and need additional academic, social, emotional and financial support to obtain a college degree.
 
 

UNDER-RESOURCED PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  • The School District of Philadelphia is experiencing severe budget, staffing, and program cuts. 
  • Philadelphia public high schools have a 600 : 1 student to counselor ratio
  • Over 50% of Philadelphia public high schools do not have a college access program
 
 

IN COMPARISON

  • Lower Merion, an affluent school district just outside Philadelphia, claims that 96% of graduating students enroll in postsecondary programs 

THE STUDENTS WE SERVE

  • Over 97% of our students come from economically disadvantaged families.
  • 82% of our students are minorities and 27% are enrolled in special education programs. 
  • Our partner schools represent the diversity of the Philadelphia school district: a neighborhood school, a community school with CTE programs, and a special admission school with complex support classrooms.