The State of Education in Philadelphia, 2019

Overview

For years, civic leaders have been concerned about the level of education among Philadelphia residents. Twentyeight percent of Philadelphians 25 or older have at least a bachelor’s degree—a lower percentage than in many U.S. cities—and 16 percent of Philadelphians have completed some college credits but do not have a degree. Sixteen percent of the degrees awarded by Philadelphia’s colleges and universities are in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and math; this rate is among the lowest of our comparison cities. The vast majority of the city’s K-12 students attend schools run by the School District of Philadelphia. That number has been decreasing for a decade as more students enroll in publicly funded charter schools.