Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties are home to 61 school districts serving more than 356,000 students — some of which are among the highest performing in the state. However, most districts are not receiving adequate funding from the state and 70,000 students are not on grade level.

Though suburban schools are typically associated with high-performance, the reality is that many schools in these districts face inequitable funding and a lack of adequate resources. Nine school districts in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties are among the 100 poorest districts in the state, and educate a substantial portion of Black and Hispanic students. The Level Up funding supplement has delivered more than $200 million to the 100 poorest school districts over the past two years but Governor Shapiro did not include Level Up dollars in his FY24 budget proposal. 

MOST RECENT RESEARCH

• REPORT: Bucks County: The Case for An Ambitious Rebound: 2022 Regional Reports on COVID’s Impact on Children (September 2022)
• REPORT: Chester County: The Case for An Ambitious Rebound: 2022 Regional Reports on COVID’s Impact on Children (September 2022)
• REPORT: Delaware County: The Case for An Ambitious Rebound: 2022 Regional Reports on COVID’s Impact on Children (September 2022)
• REPORT: Montgomery County: The Case for An Ambitious Rebound: 2022 Regional Reports on COVID’s Impact on Children (September 2022)
• REPORT: No More Dreams Deferred (Mar 2021)

(scroll down for additional research materials)