Westinghouse Academy senior Andrea Edwards feels her school is more of a “playground” than a learning environment.
“It’s like [students] don’t really have that focus,” she said. “I feel like we are more so down there because we don’t have the resources.”
Pittsburgh Public Schools [PPS] Westinghouse Academy, which enrolled about 660 students last year, has some of the lowest test scores in the district. In 2022-23, about 8% of students scored advanced or proficient in math and 29% scored the same in English in 11th grade. Districtwide, 25% of students scored advanced or proficient in math and 52% scored the same in English.
The school district spent about $30,300 per student in 2022, making its per-pupil expenditure one of the highest in the state. Philadelphia, the state’s largest school district, spent about $21,270 per pupil in 2022, and nearby districts like Woodland Hills and North Allegheny spent $24,095 and $21,450 respectively.
However, the district’s high investment per student does not reflect in student performance.
While some schools show test scores well ahead of statewide averages, students in schools with a majority of Black and low-income students are underperforming compared to their peers in other schools.
Edwards said many students in her school are unable to focus in the classroom because many face economic insecurity and feel unsafe living in Homewood. She added that students at Allderdice in Squirrel Hill or at Sci-Tech in Oakland do not face the same challenges.
“We know Homewood is more like a ‘hood,’” Edwards said. “So I feel like challenges students face are: Are we gonna get to school OK?”
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