Posted on February 7, 2023
Categories: Research and Evaluation

This brief provides information about enrollment patterns for students in grades K-12 in Philadelphia’s public schools. The analyses in this brief focus on changes in numbers of enrolled students with respect to governing institution/sector (District, Philadelphia Charter, Cyber Charter, Alternative, or Other), admission type (Neighborhood, Citywide, or Criteria-Based), and student demographics.

The brief looks at enrollment trends from 2014-15 through the present school year, with a particular focus on 2021-22 to 2022-23.

Key findings include:

  • As of October 1, 2022, total enrollment in Philadelphia public schools was 197,288.
  • There were 113,443 students enrolled in District schools, 64,498 students enrolled in Philadelphia Charter schools, 13,405 students enrolled in Cyber Charter schools, 3,624 students enrolled in Alternative schools, and 2,318 students enrolled in Other schools.
  • Since the 2014-15 academic year, enrollment in District schools has decreased by 13%, and enrollment in Philadelphia Charter schools has increased by under 1%, while enrollment in Cyber Charter schools has increased by over 2,000%, and enrollment in Alternative schools has increased by 9%.
  • Since 2014-15, Black/African American student enrollment in District schools has decreased by 16,978 students, while Hispanic/Latino student enrollment has increased by 4,523 students.
  • From 2014-15 to 2022-23, District school enrollment of students whose home language is Spanish or Portuguese increased.