All eighth-grade students in Philadelphia are encouraged to participate in the School Selection Process (SSP) to choose a school for ninth grade. Many of those eighth grade students use this opportunity to apply to one of 21 criteria-based (CB) high schools and programs (formerly known as Special Admission schools and programs). These schools and programs all have minimum requirements for students’ grades in core courses and for attendance. In addition, some schools have specialized requirements (e.g., an audition as part of an application to a specialized performing arts program, prior course completion, or a minimum score on a writing test). Previous reports have looked at the SSP process over time, including a three-part series of research reports that takes an in-depth look at four years of ninth-grade admissions (2015-16 to 2018-19) and summarized applications and admissions to ninth grade during the 2020-21 selection process (for the 2021-22 school year).

In the fall of the 2021-22 school year, changes were made to the School Selection Process, particularly with respect to rising ninth graders applying to criteria-based high schools for the 2022-23 school year.

Major changes included:

1. Removal of admission criteria based on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA)
2. Revised tiers of course grade requirements
3. Use of school-level lotteries (conducted centrally by the District) to allocate initial offers of admission
4. Use of two years of student data (due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this practice was first put in place for the 2020-21 SSP, and was retained for 2021-22)
5. Seats for designated student groups, including students who are receiving special education services, have a physical disability plan, are English Learners, and who live in six priority zip codes

This series of reports takes an in-depth look at ninth-grade admissions for the 2022-23 school year.

The first 2021-22 School Selection report focuses on the early phases of the 2021-22 School Selection Process for eighth graders enrolled in District schools (and does not include external applicants, including students enrolled in charter schools). First, it explores the number and distribution of rising ninth grade students who met the qualification levels. Second, it explores the extent to which these students exercised their options to submit applications to CB schools. Findings include:

• Almost two-thirds (65.0%) of District eighth graders met at least the Minimum eligibility requirements for criteria-based schools (more than triple the rate in 2020-21).
• Almost two-thirds (also 65.0%) of District eighth graders submitted at least one application to a criteria-based school. Over 99% of students with High Qualifications submitted an application to a criteria-based school.

The second 2021-22 School Selection report focuses strictly on outcomes of the lottery process and the distribution of initial offers of ninth grade admission across all criteria-based (CB) high schools and programs. In particular, we examine eighth grade student applications, whether they met the eligibility requirements, and whether they ultimately received an initial offer of admission. Findings include:

• 3,993 District 8th graders submitted at least one fully eligible application to a CB school, and 85.7% of those students received at least one lottery-based offer to a CB school.
• At four CB schools, the percent of offers extended to students residing in one of six prioritized zip codes was higher than in prior years in which those zip codes were not prioritized.
• Lottery offers were randomly distributed, as expected. Eligible applicants belonging to different student groups were equally likely to receive admission offers through the lottery.

Correction: The version of this research brief that was posted in March 2022 contained a typo. The third sentence on p. 12 originally appeared as follows: For comparison, those same zip codes accounted for less than 1% of total enrollment at these four schools from 2017-18 through 2020-21. The typo in this sentence was corrected in November 2022 and now reads: For comparison, those same zip codes accounted for less than 10% of total enrollment at these four schools from 2017-18 through 2020-21.

The third 2021-22 School Selection report focuses on admission offers from both the lottery and waitlist processes from criteria-based (CB) high schools and programs to eighth grade applicants. In particular, we examine how many eligible applications eighth grade students submitted, whether the eligible applications received an offer of admission through either the lottery or the waitlist process, and student responses to those offers. Findings include:

• 3,993 District 8th graders submitted at least one fully eligible application to a criteria-based (CB) school, and 89.6% of those students received at least one admission offer to a CB school. In the previous year, under different conditions, the rate was 88.3%.
• 98.5% of District 8th graders who submitted four or five eligible applications to a CB school received at least one offer. Among students who submitted four or five eligible applications to schools with High Qualification requirements, 97.7% received at least one offer from those same schools. In the previous year, under different conditions, the rate was 98.6%.

The fourth 2021-22 School Selection report focuses on the number of external and internal K-12 applicants to SDP schools. Because two-thirds of applicants in 2021-22 were 8th grade students applying to 9th grade, we examine applications to 9th grade in depth. Findings include:

• Students in all grades participate in the school selection process, but about two-thirds (68.9%) of all applicants were 8th graders applying for 9th grade.
• For students applying for 9th grade, and for all phases of the school selection process, external applicants comprised roughly one-third of the students (and two-thirds were internal applicants).
• For applicants to 9th grade, external students constituted:
  • 34.4% of students who applied to at least one criteria-based school or program.
  • 31.9% of students entered into at least one criteria-based lottery.
  • 32.4% of students who received at least one criteria-based. admission offer
  • 32.4% of students who accepted a criteria-based admission offer.

The fifth 2021-22 School Selection report focuses on final high school enrollment results for 9th grade students in Fall 2022. Fall enrollment is important to consider because some students may accept an offer of admission from a particular school but ultimately enroll at a different school. Findings include:

• From 2021-22 to 2022-23, the District saw increases in the percent of first-time 9th graders who identified as Hispanic/Latinx and/or were English Learners.
• At criteria-based schools, students identifying as Hispanic/Latinx, who had IEPs, were ELs, or were economically disadvantaged were consistently underrepresented in all years covered in this report (2019-20 through 2022-23).

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