Keystone State Education Coverage, Driven by Data
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Pennsylvania, grounded in Pennsylvania Department of Education data.
Pennsylvania's economically disadvantaged students graduate at 83%, and the poverty gap with all students narrowed 55% since 2011.
Philadelphia's graduation rate rose from 55% to 76% since 2011, the largest urban improvement in PA, driven by the 9th Grade Success Network.
Pennsylvania's white-Black graduation gap dropped from 23 to 11 percentage points since 2011 as Black students' rate soared from 65% to 81%.
Pennsylvania's four-year graduation rate reached 88% in 2024, but the state produced nearly 6,000 fewer graduates than in 2011 as cohorts shrank 10%.
Pittsburgh SD's chronic absence rate has come down from its 42% pandemic peak to 33%, with text-message reminders improving attendance for 60% of at-risk students.
English learner students are the only group in Pennsylvania whose chronic absence gap has fully closed, matching the statewide rate at 20.4%.
York City SD dropped from 63.4% chronic absence to 36.8% in two years, the second-largest improvement in Pennsylvania. The recovery crossed every subgroup.
The Black-white chronic absence gap in Pennsylvania grew from 8.2 to 11.9 percentage points. English learners are the only group that closed their gap.
Chester-Upland SD in Delaware County has never recorded a chronic absence rate below 50% in seven years of data, the only multi-school district in PA with that distinction.
Pennsylvania's cyber charter schools saw chronic absence rise to 30% even as traditional schools improved to 20%. New state reforms add oversight.
Of 733 Pennsylvania school districts, just 92 have returned to pre-pandemic chronic absence levels. 147 schools still have majority-absent student bodies.
Coatesville Area SD went from 50% chronic absence to 13% in three years, the largest such improvement among traditional Pennsylvania districts.
42% of Black students in Philadelphia are chronically absent, compared to 27% of white students. The gap has tripled since pre-COVID.
Pennsylvania's chronic absenteeism rate remains at 20.4%, still 6 percentage points above pre-COVID levels. Recovery is decelerating.
