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. As of 2024, the total enrollment was 4,543. The district administration offices are located in Lansdowne.
History The district was created in 1972 from the consolidation of three smaller, local districts (Darby-Colwyn, Lansdowne-Aldan, and Yeadon). - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com. 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.
Fair Funding Lawsuit 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.
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.”
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.
Schools
High Schools Penn Wood High School, Lansdowne Penn Wood Ninth Grade Academy, Yeadon
Middle School Penn Wood Middle School, Darby
Elementary Schools 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. Park Lane Elementary School, Darby Walnut Street Elementary School, Darby William B. Evans Elementary School, Yeadon
See also
William Penn School District v. Pennsylvania Department of Education
References
External links Official site