The School District of Philadelphia is committed to providing resources to help students stay on-track to graduate. By expanding its 9th Grade On-Track (9GOT) strategy, the District is increasing graduation rates across the district.
Since 2017-18, the 9GOT strategy has contributed to a 9.4-percentage point increase in the District’s four-year graduation rate, from 68.6% to 78.0%.
The School District of Philadelphia’s Office of Research and Evaluation works in partnership with the Philadelphia Education Research Consortium (PERC) to produce a series of focused analyses on the factors that keep SDP high school students “on-track” to graduation. One of its studies found that 9th graders who end the year “on-track” for graduation are more than twice as likely to graduate within four years.1
A first-time SDP 9th grader is considered “on-track” if they earn at least one credit in each of the four core areas (English, math, science, and social studies), plus one additional credit from any source—informally known as “four core plus one more.” Students who earn all As and Bs are considered “firmly on-track.”
1Wills, Theodore. (2024). Ninth Grade On-Track Rates and Their Relationship to On-Time Graduation for First-Time SDP Ninth Graders in 2016-17 through 2018-19. Philadelphia: The School District of Philadelphia Office of Research and Evaluation.
While all School District of Philadelphia schools are part of the 9th Grade On-Track strategy, 28 high schools currently participate in the 9th Grade Success Network. Through a collaboration with partners like Philadelphia Academies, Inc., these schools receive a deeper level of hands-on administrator coaching and support to ensure students stay on track.
For schools that were part of the 9th Grade Success Network in 2024-25, 9GOT rates for male Black/African American students showed a 13.6 percentage point increase since 2018-19 (53.6% to 67.2%). Rates for male Latino students in these schools increased by 14.0 percentage points during that same time (51.6% to 65.6%).
of 2024-2025 first-time 9th graders in SDP were on-track to graduate from high school in 4 years.
of 2021-2022 first-time 9th graders in SDP graduated high school by spring of 2025.
of 2025 high school graduates from SDP enrolled in college in fall of 2025.
of 2024 high school graduates who enrolled in college by fall 2024 returned for a second year in fall 2025.
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