New poll shows parents hold improved perception of Philly school district

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The parents of Philadelphia school students are split regarding whether the district is improving, according to a new poll released Monday by a nonprofit education advocacy group. That, though, is an improvement on the group’s 2022 survey.

According to the poll, commissioned by Elevate 215 and conducted by Embold Research, 50% of parents said the Philadelphia School District is headed in the right direction. An equal percentage responded that the schools are headed in the wrong direction.

That result is 14% better than 2022, when 36% of parents said the schools were moving in the right direction and 64% said they were not.

While the parents’ districtwide sentiments are equivocal, they had much more confidence in the direction of their children’s individual schools.

According to the poll, 77% of parents surveyed said their child’s school is on the right track, while 23% disagree.

This is slightly improved from the 2022 parent poll, which showed that 73% of the respondents said their child’s school was headed in the right direction, while 27% said it was not.

Beyond whether the schools were on track, there was broad agreement on what the district’s priorities should be.

More than 90% of the respondents said that teacher quality, school safety, and curriculum and instructional practices should be the school’s top priorities, and 94% said that improving school quality should be the city’s top budget priority.

“As Elevate 215 works towards increasing the number of quality schools, our approach has always been family-focused and data-driven,” Sarah Gearhart, Elevate 215 director of data strategy and analytics, said in a statement. “To elevate Philadelphia’s schools, it is essential that we listen to the voices of families — those directly impacted by the effectiveness of our education system.”

In addition, the majority of parents surveyed, 70%, said families would benefit from a common enrollment system for both regular public schools and charter schools.

Embold Research polled 606 Philadelphia parents between April 2 and April 20, using an online statistical technique designed to reach respondents who are representative of the city’s population, in terms of race, income level and neighborhood.

Of those parents who were surveyed, 79% were parents of public schools, either district or charter. The remaining parents were households in which there were both private and home-schooled students (16%) or public and private school students (5%).

City Councilmember-At-Large Isaiah Thomas is chair of the legislative body’s education committee.

“The 2025 Parent Poll shows that parents believe our schools are moving in the right direction,” Thomas said. “As a parent myself, I’m encouraged that parents feel supported. But the poll also reinforces that there is more work to do.”

Thomas urged parents to contact his office with ideas for improving the schools. “On city council, we are working tirelessly to improve education,” Thomas said, “but the voices of our students, parents and education professionals are paramount to that work.”

Monique Braxton, a spokesperson for the school district, would not comment on the poll.

“We always welcome comments from our families about the district and have an interactive program called ‘Let’s Talk’ that assists us in gauging issues our families are concerned about,” she said.

In April 2022, Philadelphia School District Superintendent Tony Watlington, Sr., was hired and given a 5-year contract.

The following year, Watlington announced a 5-year strategic plan called Accelerate Philly, which called for improvements in school safety, security, and facilities, as well as a new $70 million curriculum.

This year, Watlington has touted lower dropout rates, higher graduation rates, improved reading and math scores, and the highest enrollment in 10 years.

Issues remain. For years, the district’s aging buildings have been plagued by faulty heating and cooling systems, along with mold and asbestos.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice filed criminal charges against the school district, alleging that it failed to inspect several schools for asbestos in violation of federal law. But the school board signed an agreement with the DOJ that would defer prosecution, which means that the DOJ could drop the criminal charges if the district maintains compliance with federal law.