PhiladelphiaIntervention cohortseasy
Only 4 Philly schools are NOT Title I — and they average 18 points below Title I peers
Thesis
Philadelphia carries Title I federal-funding designation at 336 of 340 schools we can flag — virtually universal. The 4 non-Title-I schools have an average PSSA ELA of 13.1% (median 12.4%) vs Title I schools' 31.1% (median 25.5%) — Title I status correlates with HIGHER proficiency in Philly, not lower. The non-Title I schools are alternative/specialty schools with very small enrollments.
Supporting findings
- 336 Title I schools, 4 non-Title-I — 99% of Philly is Title I.
- Title I avg PSSA ELA all-grades Acct: 31.1%; median 25.5%.
- Non-Title-I (n=4): avg 13.1%, median 12.4%.
- The 4 non-Title-I schools are likely alternative education / D75-style settings — their low outcomes reflect the student population, not Title I status.
Reporting directions
- Name the 4 non-Title-I schools. What are they?
- Discussion-piece angle: Title I is a federal poverty-rate designation, but every Philly school has high poverty. The metric is mostly uninformative for within-Philly differentiation.
Methodology & replication recipe — the queries + sources behind the findings above.