Philadelphia summer learning programs grow, but their academic impact remains uncertain

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From the field trips to the childcare, Philly kids and their families say they’re enjoying the summer school programs provided by the school district and the city.

But are these programs translating to more success in the classroom? That question has been a tough puzzle to solve for district officials. And a report conducted by the district doesn’t necessarily provide encouraging — or clear — answers.

Every summer, thousands of students participate in the bevy of free summer programs Philadelphia offers. They range from camps and sports to workforce training, traditional classroom learning, and safe spaces for young people. Superintendent Tony Watlington and Mayor Cherelle Parker have promoted the programs in part as a way to boost academic achievement and reinforce math and reading skills during the summer, when the threat of learning loss is greatest.

But a new report from the school district about summer programming in 2025 found some students in three grade levels who participated in Summer Achievers — a core part of Parker’s push for year-round school — experienced more learning loss in reading on the Star assessment compared with district students overall. The report’s authors caution that in general, district students’ fall Star test scores are lower than their spring scores from the previous school year, due to the “summer slide.”

The popularity of these programs is growing: From 2023 to 2025, enrollment in the five largest summer programs rose from roughly 14,800 students in 2023 to nearly 16,800 students in 2025. And national research has found that summer programs can help students’ academic progress in math and literacy.

But spotty attendance is one of the reasons why measuring academic outcomes for students in summer programs can be difficult. The district does not track whether students attend the academic portion of the summer programs, or which students come on which days.

Several researchers told Chalkbeat that the district’s analysis, which it published in June, is ultimately inconclusive. They also raised questions about how the district is measuring academic success for students in the program. Not all Summer Achievers students took the Star assessments. And the report doesn’t say how to distinguish outcomes for Summer Achievers, who are also district students, from the district’s overall performance.

“You can’t tell from this [report] whether or not the summer programs had any significant positive impact on participants relative to the district,” Jon Supovitz, director of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, said in an interview.

There are separate, broader challenges related to assessing these summer programs, like isolating the effects of academic-focused programs from recreational ones. The programs, most of which are voluntary and free, attract a different group of kids than the district educates overall.

District officials told Chalkbeat that summer programming isn’t like tutoring and shouldn’t be evaluated the same way. They said their test score analysis was meant to be descriptive and includes “imperfect data points” intended to guide future summer program planning efforts. The programs are evolving and are intended to help students succeed over a longer stretch of time, they added.

“Would we expect there to be dramatic changes? Probably not, based on the model of the program,” Joy Lesnick, the district’s deputy chief of research, evaluation, and academic partnerships, said in an interview.

The district is betting that getting young people in the habit and pattern of attending school — or school-like environments — will boost attendance rates and create a positive association with learning that will compound over time.

“If you’re in the pattern of going to school and it’s a fun thing that you do and you’re doing these things that you enjoy, then you’re going to keep coming,” Lesnick said.

Summer Achievers just wrapped up its third summer. It’s part English and math class staffed by district teachers, part summer camp. It’s not mandatory and runs for around six weeks for four days a week from June to July. Lesnick said that works out to around 20 days of programming — the academic portion can account for three to four hours of each day.

But district officials say the intent of the programs goes beyond boosting standardized test scores.

“Ultimately we want the academic achievement to improve,” Lesnick said. “We also know that engagement and a strong school climate and a love of learning are also really important things to keep going, especially if you’re young.”

The report did identify what the district considers successful outcomes from some of the other five largest summer programs, although those aren’t based on measures like test scores. Nearly two-thirds of students required to attend Summer School recovered one or more academic credits, and nearly 60% of enrolled seniors graduated over the summer of 2025 as a result.

For some students, the programs are having the desired effect in terms of changing their mindset about school.

“This program actually helped me,” one summer school participant said in a written response to the district’s survey included in the 2025 report. “I’m glad I experienced this because it was a wake up call to come to school more.”

Carly Sitrin is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Philadelphia. Contact Carly at csitrin@chalkbeat.org.