What William Penn School District does

William Penn School District is a public K-12 school district operating under Pennsylvania state law, serving approximately 5,000 students across six boroughs (Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, and Yeadon) in southeastern Delaware County. The district runs 12 schools — eight elementary schools (K-6), Penn Wood Middle School (7-8), the Penn Wood Ninth Grade Academy (grade 9), Penn Wood High School across two campuses (Cypress Street and Green Avenue for grades 10-12) — plus a tuition-free Personalized Learning Community (PLC) virtual program. Programs also include summer enrichment (Camp Rock, Kamp Kaboom), athletics, Extended School Year (ESY), alternative education, and the Cyber Academy. The superintendent is Dr. Eric J. Becoats, supported by a Chief of Schools, Chief of Operations, Chief Director of Student Services, CFO, and per-school principals and grade-level assistant principals.

The technology stack consists of standard EdTech tools: ParentSquare for unified family communication, e-School (PowerSchool) for student information management, Edgenuity for online course delivery in the PLC program, and Pennsylvania's Standards Aligned System (SAS) as the curriculum framework. The district has no proprietary technology development, no AI capabilities, and no patents; all platforms are third-party products integrated for instructional and administrative use. Marketing and engagement run through the district website, Instagram, YouTube, ParentSquare, livestreamed board meetings, and community events including the "Wednesday Word" superintendent videos and "What Do You Say?" podcast.

As a government entity, the district generates no commercial revenue and charges no tuition; it is funded approximately 55% by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Basic Education Funding (and related special education, adequacy, and Title I-IV federal pass-throughs) and approximately 45% by local property taxes levied across the six boroughs. The 2025-2026 approved budget is $134.5 million, with monthly payroll above $4 million. The district has faced an identified adequacy gap of approximately $22.6 million and previously required a $9.9 million loan during a state budget impasse. Advocacy for fair funding is run jointly with Children First and Pennsylvania state legislators, including Governor Shapiro's office.

Name

William Penn School District

Legal name

William Penn School District

Website

https://williampennsd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

William Penn School District is a public K-12 school district serving approximately 5,000 students across six boroughs in southeastern Delaware County, Pennsylvania, operating 12 schools and a virtual Personalized Learning Community funded by state appropriations and local property taxes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (611110), Elementary and Secondary Schools (61111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public K–12 Combined Schools (EDAJAAAE), Online Credit Recovery & Alternative Pathways (Virtual) (EDAJADAF)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• Elementary and secondary schools
• Virtual learning programs
• Special education services
• School athletics programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lansdowne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Public School Funding - State: State funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania accounts for approximately 55% of the district's operating budget. The district receives Basic Education Funding, Special Education Funding, Title I through IV grants, and adequacy funding under Pennsylvania's Fair Funding Plan.
2. Local Property Taxes: Real estate tax revenue collected from property owners in the six boroughs served (Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, and Yeadon). The district has proposed property tax increases including a 5.9% increase.
3. Federal Grants: Federal funding including Title I (schoolwide programs), Title II (educator quality), Title III (English language development), and Title IV (student support and academic enrichment) grants.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

William Penn School District provides tuition-free K-12 public education to approximately 5,000 students residing in six boroughs of southeastern Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The district operates 12 schools spanning elementary (K-6), middle (7-8), ninth grade academy, and high school (10-12) levels, plus a Personalized Learning Community for online/hybrid education. It also delivers supplemental programs including summer enrichment, athletics, special education, English language development, and college/career readiness.

Product overview

William Penn School District is a public school district serving approximately 5,000 students in six southeastern Delaware County communities. The district operates eight elementary schools (K-6), Penn Wood Middle School (7-8), Penn Wood High School with two campuses (Ninth Grade Academy at Cypress Street and grades 10-12 at Green Avenue), and the Personalized Learning Community for online/hybrid learning. The district utilizes ParentSquare as its unified communication platform connecting district, schools, and families. Additional programs include summer enrichment (Camp Rock, Kamp Kaboom), athletics, Extended School Year (ESY) programs, and alternative education options including the Cyber Academy Program and Blended Schools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Penn Wood: Athletics program for Penn Wood Middle School and Penn Wood High School including various sports teams
• ParentSquare
• PLC (Personalized Learning Community)

Products and services

• Elementary Schools (K-6) Tuition-free public elementary education for students in Kindergarten through grade 6, delivered across eight elementary schools in Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne, and Yeadon boroughs, aligned with Pennsylvania academic standards.
• Penn Wood Middle School Public middle school education for students in grades 7 and 8, with a mission of preparing all students for high school and beyond through instructional rigor, data-informed instruction, and high expectations aligned with state standards.
• Penn Wood Ninth Grade Academy Dedicated ninth-grade academy providing structured transition support for freshman students moving from middle school to high school, with an instructional model bridging middle-level programming and traditional high school.
• Penn Wood High School Public high school serving students in grades 9-12 across two campuses (Cypress Street Ninth Grade Academy and Green Avenue Campus for grades 10-12), with college and career preparation including honors, AP, and dual enrollment options.
• Personalized Learning Community (PLC) Tuition-free online education program providing virtual learning for students who excel in non-traditional classroom settings. Students may take all courses online or blend online and traditional courses; grades K-6 use Edgenuity computer courses with optional in-person or virtual tutoring, and grades 7-12 include live remote sessions taught by Pennsylvania-certified William Penn teachers.
• Summer Enrichment Programs Fee-based summer programs including Camp Rock and Kamp Kaboom that provide hands-on creative projects, construction activities, career exploration, and enrichment workshops for district students during summer months.
• Penn Wood Athletics Athletic program for Penn Wood Middle School and Penn Wood High School promoting physical fitness, teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship, with fall, winter, and spring sports including basketball, soccer, volleyball, track and field, cross country, tennis, baseball, softball, flag football, and cheerleading.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Foundations, Inc. Safe-Time ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Foundations, Inc. providing Safe-Time summer program at Walnut Street Elementary School. The program offers hands-on creative projects, career exploration activities including music, art, animal care, and skill-building workshops for students.
• Amora's Nail BarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership providing nail art instruction for Kamp Kaboom summer program campers. Instructor Destinee Brooks taught fundamentals of nail art course with certificates of completion awarded to participants.
• Children FirstcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStatewide advocacy organization fighting for fair school funding in Pennsylvania. The district partners with Children First for advocacy efforts to secure adequate education funding from the state. District encourages families to join advocacy events organized by Children First.
• Pennsylvania State Legislature and Governor ShapirocoreOthersThe district advocates with Pennsylvania state legislators and Governor Josh Shapiro for full and fair funding of public schools, including Basic Education Funding, special education funding, cyber charter reform, and capital funding for school facilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Interboro School District: Neighboring Delaware County K-12 public school district of similar scale (~3,500-4,000 students), facing comparable property-tax-funded operating dynamics in the same labor market.
• Penn-Delco School District: Adjacent Delaware County K-12 district covering Aston, Brookhaven, Parkside and surrounding boroughs; provides a suburban counterpoint useful for benchmarking per-pupil spending and tax-base dynamics.
• Southeast Delco School District: Adjacent Delaware County K-12 district of comparable size, also subject to Pennsylvania's state funding formula and serving similar borough-style communities.
• Upper Darby School District: Neighboring K-12 public school district in Delaware County, PA, serving a similarly diverse, urban-adjacent student population with comparable funding-mix challenges. Closest geographic and demographic peer to William Penn.
• Chester-Upland School District: Adjacent Delaware County K-12 district with overlapping demographic profile and a long history of adequacy-funding litigation, providing a direct comparison for funding-gap dynamics facing William Penn.
• Springfield Township School District (Delaware County): Adjacent Delaware County K-12 district of comparable size, operating under the same Pennsylvania funding and regulatory regime as William Penn.
• Ridley School District: Neighboring Delaware County K-12 district, similar enrollment scale, sharing the same county-wide funding advocacy context and student demographics.
• Marple Newtown School District: Adjacent Delaware County K-12 district serving similar communities and competing for the same regional labor pool of teachers and administrators.

Broad incumbents

• School District of Philadelphia: Largest PA K-12 public district and the state's urban anchor; sets the policy benchmark for adequacy litigation, cyber-charter reform debates, and state-funding advocacy that directly affect William Penn.

Regional players

• Haverford Township School District: Adjacent Delaware County K-12 district with a more affluent tax base, useful for benchmarking how property-wealth mix shapes adequacy-gap exposure relative to William Penn.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKDYNYXWqLTBCaAtx642ilQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/_williampennsd
• Xx.com/_WilliamPennSD
• Facebookfacebook.com/WilliamPennSchoolDistrict
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/william-penn-school-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about William Penn School District