Colonial School District placed fourth among 127 school districts in the Philadelphia metro area in Niche's 2027 Best School Districts rankings.
Only three Main Line districts scored higher: Tredyffrin-Eastown at No. 1, Lower Merion at No. 2 and Radnor at No. 3. That makes Colonial the highest-ranked district in the region outside the Main Line and second in Montgomery County behind only Lower Merion, MoreThanTheCurve reported on Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Colonial also earned an A+ overall grade and ranked ninth statewide among all Pennsylvania districts, according to Patch. The district is one of 16 in Montgomery County to score at least an A.
The district serves about 5,713 students across seven schools, including Plymouth-Whitemarsh Senior High School and Colonial Middle School. Colonial earned A+ marks in teachers, college prep, clubs and activities, administration and food, with A grades in academics and sports. Diversity and resources and facilities each received a B.
Colonial Superintendent Michael Christian did not issue a public statement on the ranking as of Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Wissahickon School District, the other local district, ranked 12th in the Philadelphia region and fourth in Montgomery County. Upper Dublin placed 15th regionally and fifth in the county. Among other nearby districts, Springfield placed 25th, Methacton 31st, Upper Merion 32nd, Jenkintown 33rd and Cheltenham 36th. Niche's ranked list for the Philadelphia area displays only the top 66 of 127 districts evaluated; Norristown Area School District fell below that cutoff.
Niche based its 2027 rankings on state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, teacher quality and district ratings. The formula draws on U.S. Department of Education data and millions of reviews from students and parents. One notable change this cycle: SAT and ACT scores were dropped to reflect a broader de-emphasis on standardized testing in college admissions.
Nationally, Tredyffrin-Eastown led all Philadelphia-area districts at 27th out of more than 11,000 evaluated, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported. Radnor dropped 32 spots to 60th after leading the region since 2020.
