William Penn School District
| William Penn School District | |
|---|---|
 | |
| District information | |
| Type | Public |
| Grades | K-12 |
| Established | 1972 |
| Superintendent | Dr. Eric J. Becoats[1] |
| Students and staff | |
| Students | 4,543[2] |
| Other information | |
| Website | https://williampennsd.org/ |
The William Penn School District is a public school district located in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It comprises eight elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, based on two campuses. The district serves the boroughs of Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, and Yeadon. The district is adjacent to the City of Philadelphia.[3] As of 2024, the total enrollment was 4,543.[2] The district administration offices are located in Lansdowne.
History
[edit]The district was created in 1972 from the consolidation of three smaller, local districts (Darby-Colwyn, Lansdowne-Aldan, and Yeadon).[4] The consolidation was one of many mergers mandated by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission during this era to facilitate the racial integration of schools in the Philadelphia area.[5]
Fair Funding Lawsuit
[edit]The William Penn School District has faced budgetary shortfalls throughout its history. In 2014, the district partnered with the Public Interest Law Center along with several other school districts, parents, and advocacy groups to file a lawsuit saying that the state's process for funding schools, which relies heavily on local taxes, thereby creating significant per-student funding gaps between wealthy districts and low-wealth ones, is tantamount to discrimination.[6]
In 2023, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the Pennsylvania General Assembly had created “manifest deficiencies” between high-wealth and low-wealth school districts with “no rational basis” for the funding gaps. The ruling stated that the Pennsylvania Constitution's Education Clause was “clearly, palpably, and plainly violated because of a failure to provide all students with access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary system of public education that will give them a meaningful opportunity to succeed academically, socially, and civically.”[7]
In spite of the precedent-setting success of this lawsuit, the state has been slow to provide relief to the district, which has compounded its financial challenges.[8]
Schools
[edit]
High Schools
[edit]- Penn Wood High School, Lansdowne
- Penn Wood Ninth Grade Academy, Yeadon
Middle School
[edit]- Penn Wood Middle School, Darby
Elementary Schools
[edit]- Aldan Elementary School, Aldan
- Ardmore Avenue Elementary School, Lansdowne
- Bell Avenue Elementary School, Yeadon
- Colwyn Elementary School, Colwyn
- East Lansdowne Elementary School, East Lansdowne
- In 1972 the school's library was opened to the public, one of the few school libraries to do so, as East Lansdowne had no other public library.[4]
- Park Lane Elementary School, Darby
- Walnut Street Elementary School, Darby
- William B. Evans Elementary School, Yeadon
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "Superintendent". williampennsd.org. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ a b "2024 Fast Facts". williampennsd.org. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Delaware County, PA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Hilferty, John (November 5, 1972). "East Lansdowne's Heart Big". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. pp. 1 N-W, N–W. - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com.
- ^ Patrick, Kellie; Mastrull, Diane; Emeno, Alletta (May 18, 2004). "Isolated in the Suburbs - Some Leave the City for Better Schools and Find Things are Not Much Different". The Philadelphia Inquirer – via NewsBank.
- ^ Avi Wolfman-Arent (September 28, 2017). "Those Challenging Fairness of Pa. School Funding will Have Day in Court". WHYY. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
- ^ Parish, Marley; Hall, Peter (February 7, 2023). "Pa. court sides with plaintiffs in K-12 school funding case". Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
- ^ Kenny Cooper (May 29, 2025). "William Penn School District Could Eliminate Arts, Athletic Programs". WHYY. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
External links
[edit]Delaware County, Pennsylvania schools | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||
