William Penn Senior High School

Summary:

William Penn Senior High School is a public high school located in York, Pennsylvania, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,534 students. The school is part of the York City School District, which is ranked 572 out of 610 districts in Pennsylvania and has a 0-star rating from SchoolDigger.

William Penn Senior High School consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of Pennsylvania high schools, with rankings ranging from 512 out of 537 in 2020-2021 to 639 out of 674 in 2022-2023. The school's performance on Keystone Exams is significantly below the state average, with only 11.6% of 11th-grade students proficient or better in Algebra I in 2023-2024, compared to the state average of 41.6%. Additionally, the school's four-year graduation rate has ranged from 60.3% to 87.5% over the past few years, which is lower than the state average, and its dropout rate has ranged from 1.6% to 9.4%, which is higher than the state average.

In contrast, the nearby schools, such as Spring Grove Area High School, Red Lion Area Senior High School, and Dallastown Area Senior High School, generally perform better academically and have higher graduation rates. These schools also have lower percentages of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, with free/reduced-price lunch rates ranging from 31.48% to 49.41%, compared to 100% at William Penn Senior High School. Despite the high per-student spending at William Penn Senior High School, the school's academic performance and outcomes suggest that the resources may not be effectively utilized or allocated to address the specific needs of the student population.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 101 W College Ave
       York, PA  17401-5403


(717) 849-1218

District: York City School District

SchoolDigger Rank:
605th of 686 Pennsylvania High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $16,614 Help


Feeder schools for William Penn Senior High School:

Elementary:    Davis School
    Devers School
    Ferguson School
    Goode School
    More...

Student/teacher ratio:  16.2 Help
Number of students:  1,611

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:
48.7%
African American:
37.4%
White:
6.9%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  99.9% Help


 See top rated Pennsylvania high schools

 Compare William Penn Senior High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details William Penn Senior High School ranks worse than 88.2% of high schools in Pennsylvania. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 9.62. (See more...)
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The four-year cohort graduation rate measures the percentage of students at William Penn Senior High School who earn a standard high school diploma within four years of starting ninth grade.
Help
The high school dropout rate measures the percentage of students who do not complete their high school education.
Student Body
Help
Compare Details Racial makeup is: Hispanic (48.7%), African American (37.4%), White (6.9%). (See more...)
Help
Compare Details 99.9% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at William Penn Senior High School is 16.2. (See more...)
Help
Compare William Penn Senior High School employs 99 full-time teachers.
Finance
Help
Compare Details The average total spent per student at William Penn Senior High School is $16,614.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

William Penn Senior High School:

SchoolDigger ranks William Penn Senior High School 605th of 686 Pennsylvania public high schools. (See William Penn Senior High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Disabled students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


York City School District:

SchoolDigger ranks York City School District 572nd of 610 Pennsylvania school districts. (See district ranking list.)


What do you think?

Your rating for William Penn Senior High School?

Rank History for William Penn Senior High School

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Compare

Rank History for all students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2003 12.39 517th 583 11.3%
2004 4.31 549th 590 6.9%
2005 9.69 542nd 593 8.6%
2006 3.49 581st 604 3.8%
2007 3.08 591st 615 3.9%
2008 7.66 577th 621 7.1%
2009 5.17 594th 632 6.0%
2010 5.60 615th 649 5.2%
2011 5.19 621st 660 5.9%
2012 6.36 612th 664 7.8%
2013 6.02 542nd 591 8.3%
2014 4.89 542nd 580 6.6%
2015 6.59 611th 680 10.1%
2016 1.85 635th 677 6.2%
2017 4.98 603rd 663 9.0%
2018 8.74 596th 673 11.4%
2019 5.37 629th 693 9.2%
2021 5.76 512th 537 4.7%
2022 2.81 622nd 634 1.9%
2023 5.17 639th 674 5.2%
2024 9.62 605th 686 11.8%
See the entire list of Pennsylvania High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 10.43 142nd 150 5.3%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 27.14 71st 85 16.5%
2024 39.20 48th 84 42.9%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 7.24 615th 652 5.7%
2024 12.05 588th 664 11.4%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 7.47 601st 665 9.6%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Disabled students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 21.68 419th 502 16.5%
2024 23.87 404th 513 21.2%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Disabled Students!

Rank History for Male students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 11.81 585th 662 11.6%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 18.86 219th 260 15.8%
2024 22.57 221st 284 22.2%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2023 8.92 238th 252 5.6%
2024 21.21 224th 274 18.2%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at William Penn Senior High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools PA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 10.54 550th 595 7.6%
See the entire list of Best Pennsylvania High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Pennsylvania Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

William Penn Senior High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
Group by: 
District Scores:
State Scores:    
  
Subgroup: 



Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

Review counts

All ratings (Avg rating: 3)
0%

0%

100%

0%

0%

  

Reviews:
by a citizen
Thursday, April 9, 2015

Open Quote I have never seen my step-daughter (Giselle Juarez) so agreeable in a long time. She has adapted so quickly, her marks came up slowly. What else can this school do for my step-children? Do it proudly!!!

Sincerely, Mr. K. Gernon
Jackson Heights, N.Y.C; N.Y.

P.S. Thank you! Close Quote



Enrollment information for William Penn Senior High School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 888 674 30 151 2 n/a n/a -159 1586
1989 805 618 30 168 1 n/a n/a 0 1622
1990 768 571 34 191 2 n/a n/a 0 1566
1991 716 543 40 208 0 n/a n/a 0 1507
1992 717 548 37 235 1 n/a n/a 0 1538
1993 617 520 40 239 2 n/a n/a 0 1418
1994 600 550 50 260 4 n/a n/a 0 1464
1995 582 642 36 317 1 n/a n/a 0 1578
1996 582 642 36 317 1 n/a n/a 0 1578
1997 599 675 36 371 2 n/a n/a 0 1683
1998 556 711 31 370 1 n/a n/a 0 1669
1999 546 717 44 367 0 n/a n/a 0 1674
2000 518 732 49 400 0 n/a n/a 0 1699
2001 449 737 49 419 2 n/a n/a 0 1656
2002 480 778 39 438 2 n/a n/a 0 1737
2003 480 778 39 438 2 n/a n/a 0 1737
2004 471 867 26 547 1 n/a n/a 0 1912
2005 443 836 30 505 0 n/a n/a 0 1814
2006 329 853 25 535 0 n/a n/a 0 1742
2007 259 776 23 527 1 n/a n/a 0 1586
2008 171 625 20 449 1 n/a n/a 0 1266
2009 232 659 19 502 2 n/a n/a 0 1414
2010 222 486 15 605 1 n/a n/a 0 1329
2011 212 585 15 472 1 0 0 0 1285
2012 159 472 10 345 1 0 6 0 993
2013 115 404 14 343 1 0 3 0 880
2014 120 367 13 368 0 0 8 0 876
2015 120 462 9 453 0 3 20 0 1067
2016 123 491 7 490 0 1 26 0 1138
2017 105 457 6 511 0 0 31 0 1110
2018 124 428 4 486 0 1 38 0 1081
2019 129 496 4 685 0 1 50 0 1365
2020 135 497 1 763 1 1 43 0 1441
2021 137 538 2 759 0 2 49 0 1487
2022 125 577 4 775 1 1 65 0 1548
2023 113 569 4 760 1 1 86 0 1534
2024 111 603 6 785 0 1 105 0 1611

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at William Penn Senior High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1586 114.0 13.9 n/a
1989 1622 116.0 13.9 n/a
1990 1566 114.9 13.6 0
1991 1507 108.0 13.9 n/a
1992 1538 104.0 14.7 n/a
1993 1418 84.5 16.8 n/a
1994 1464 76.0 19.3 n/a
1995 1578 77.0 20.5 n/a
1996 1578 77.0 20.5 n/a
1997 1683 90.5 18.6 n/a
1998 1669 89.5 18.6 n/a
1999 1674 96.0 17.4 n/a
2000 1699 105.0 16.2 57.1
2001 1656 107.0 15.5 57.6
2002 1737 110.0 15.8 52.4
2003 1737 110.0 15.8 52.4
2004 1912 107.0 17.9 48.9
2005 1814 101.0 18.0 50.2
2006 1742 98.0 17.8 65.7
2007 1586 99.0 16.0 78.5
2008 1266 103.0 12.3 99.8
2009 1414 49.0 28.9 74.7
2010 1329 108.0 12.3 45.8
2011 1285 101.0 12.7 35.2
2012 993 81.5 12.1 83.1
2013 880 71.0 12.3 71.1
2014 876 56.0 15.6 72.8
2015 1067 58.0 18.3 98.2
2016 1138 70.0 16.2 100
2017 1110 70.9 15.6 69.4
2018 1081 69.9 15.4 81.2
2019 1365 83.7 16.3 93.8
2020 1441 87.5 16.4 74.4
2021 1487 86.5 17.1 74.4
2022 1548 85.5 18.0 99.8
2023 1534 96.0 15.9 100
2024 1611 99.0 16.2 99.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio William Penn Senior High School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 1586 114.0 13.9 n/a
1989 1622 116.0 13.9 n/a
1990 1566 114.9 13.6 0
1991 1507 108.0 13.9 n/a
1992 1538 104.0 14.7 n/a
1993 1418 84.5 16.8 n/a
1994 1464 76.0 19.3 n/a
1995 1578 77.0 20.5 n/a
1996 1578 77.0 20.5 n/a
1997 1683 90.5 18.6 n/a
1998 1669 89.5 18.6 n/a
1999 1674 96.0 17.4 n/a
2000 1699 105.0 16.2 57.1
2001 1656 107.0 15.5 57.6
2002 1737 110.0 15.8 52.4
2003 1737 110.0 15.8 52.4
2004 1912 107.0 17.9 48.9
2005 1814 101.0 18.0 50.2
2006 1742 98.0 17.8 65.7
2007 1586 99.0 16.0 78.5
2008 1266 103.0 12.3 99.8
2009 1414 49.0 28.9 74.7
2010 1329 108.0 12.3 45.8
2011 1285 101.0 12.7 35.2
2012 993 81.5 12.1 83.1
2013 880 71.0 12.3 71.1
2014 876 56.0 15.6 72.8
2015 1067 58.0 18.3 98.2
2016 1138 70.0 16.2 100
2017 1110 70.9 15.6 69.4
2018 1081 69.9 15.4 81.2
2019 1365 83.7 16.3 93.8
2020 1441 87.5 16.4 74.4
2021 1487 86.5 17.1 74.4
2022 1548 85.5 18.0 99.8
2023 1534 96.0 15.9 100
2024 1611 99.0 16.2 99.9

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for William Penn Senior High School

Help

YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,019 (6.0%) $15,966 (94.0%) $16,985
2020 $1,419 (6.0%) $22,229 (94.0%) $23,648
2021 $3,439 (16.0%) $18,054 (84.0%) $21,493
2022 $1,929 (11.6%) $14,686 (88.4%) $16,614

Data source: Pennsylvania Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on William Penn Senior High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 629th of 693 High schoolsRanks 639th of 674 High schools
 4%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
11th Grade Algebra I (William Penn Senior High School)21.14.5
 16.6%
   11th Grade Algebra I (Pennsylvania)63.334.1
 29.2%
11th Grade Biology (William Penn Senior High School)20.17.7
 12.4%
   11th Grade Biology (Pennsylvania)63.250.7
 12.5%
11th Grade Literature (William Penn Senior High School)3425.4
 8.6%
   11th Grade Literature (Pennsylvania)71.565.3
 6.2%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students13651534
 12.4%
African American496569
 14.7%
American Indian01
Asian44
Hispanic685760
 10.9%
Pacific Islander11
White129113
 12.4%
Two or More Races5086
 72%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients93.8%100%
 6.2%


Schools Near William Penn Senior High School









Frequently Asked Questions about William Penn Senior High School

Students at William Penn Senior High School are 49% Hispanic, 37% African American, 7% White, 7% Two or more races.

In the 2023-24 school year, 1,611 students attended William Penn Senior High School.

William Penn Senior High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Davis School
Elementary : Devers School
Elementary : Ferguson School
Elementary : Goode School
Elementary : Hannah Penn
Elementary : Jackson School
Elementary : McKinley School

William Penn Senior High School ranks in the bottom 11.8% of Pennsylvania high schools.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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