Similar to the well-established Ninth Grade On-Track (9GOT) metric, SDP also uses a Tenth Grade On-Track (10GOT) metric to track student progress towards graduation. This research brief examines 1) the relationship between students’ 9GOT and 10GOT statuses, and 2) the relationship between students’ 10GOT status, their four-year graduation status, and credits earned.
The Senior Exit Survey is administered annually each spring by the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE). In 2024-25, ORE received responses from 7,369 seniors at 79 District high schools, representing 73.9% of enrolled 12th grade students.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires school districts to conduct a follow-up survey with graduates of their Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. The 2025 graduate follow-up survey asked whether CTE graduates from the class of 2024 had enrolled in college, continued to work or train in their CTE field of study, or pursued other activities.
In this brief we present Philadelphia public high school graduation rates from 2013-14 to 2023-24 and examine the trends in this metric by different student groupings.
In the School District of Philadelphia (SDP), the summer melt rate is calculated as the percentage of graduating 12th grade students who intend to go to college but do not matriculate within the first fall after graduation. This brief examines patterns in summer melt rates from 2015-16 to 2023-24 and then looks more closely at characteristics of summer melt for the graduating classes of school years 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24.
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires school districts to conduct a follow-up survey with graduates of their Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. The 2024 graduate follow-up survey asked whether CTE graduates from the class of 2023 had enrolled in college, continued to work or train in their CTE field of study, or pursued other activities.
Each year, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) and its partner organizations offer a variety of summer programs to ensure that students have the opportunity to continue learning during the summer months. This report provides a summary of the 2024 summer programs, including information about enrollment and attendance, and findings from surveys.
The Senior Exit Survey is administered annually each spring by the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE). In 2023-24, ORE received responses from 6,718 seniors at 78 District high schools, representing 73.4% of enrolled 12th grade students. This slide deck presents a summary of survey results.
Pennsylvania’s Act 158 created a statewide graduation requirement for all Pennsylvania high school students. Students who were in 12th grade during the 2022-23 school year were the first graduates who needed to satisfy the Act 158 requirements. This brief summarizes completion rates of the five pathways for this group of students.
As an important metric of students’ readiness for college and career, the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) monitors high school graduation rates each year. This brief examines graduation rates in public schools in the city of Philadelphia, comparing trends for District, Alternative, and Charter schools.